Orphaned Legacy
by xxFrozenSn0wxx
Summary: The day the Kyuubi attacked, the Yondaime somehow survived the sealing of the demon but the price was too high as his son, Kazama Naruto was taken instead, his body however was never found.
1. Prologue

Author's Notes: This is sorta my first fic soo don't be too mean!! Please review!!

Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Orphaned Legacy**

Prologue

Twelve years ago, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the most powerful of all the demons, was summoned to the mortal plane. Blinded by his fury, the nine-tailed fox, king of the Youkai, was sent to destroy Konoha and anything in its path. In truth, the Kyuubi was actually Fire Country's guardian, long forgotten by the mortals who basked in their ignorance.

What irony that the village the fox was supposed to protect was to be destroyed by their very own protector. The summoning in itself was spelled to overtake the Guardian's better judgment, feeling nothing but raw anger and rage for the village he was meant to protect.

This of course resulted in events that would change the lives of many that can never be undone.

That day, the Fourth Hokage, Kazama Arashi survived the sealing of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

That day, the demon was destroyed in the eyes of the villagers.

That day, his son, Kazama Naruto died.

That day, the Yondaime lost everything...

That day, Kyoutaka Ran (pronounced Ra-uhn or like Ron) was born.\

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Am I dead?' A hoarse groan was released through his lips.

'What is that smell?' Heavy eyelids opened slightly only to close them immediately when the light filtered in. 'I'm in the hospital.'

Suddenly, cerulean eyes snapped open and the blond shot up ignoring the throbbing pain that seemed to suddenly take over his body and the headache that made it seem like his head was splitting in half. 'How did I survive?!'

Arashi was taken by surprise when the door was flung open and Sarutobi, Tsunade and Jiraiya all ran into the room, hearing the noise and immediately headed towards the distressed blond.

"Arashi..." The hermit began.

"S-sensei, how did I- how did I s-survive?"

"We truly don't know, Arashi. The sealing comes with a price, an equivalent exchange, if you will and it doesn't make sense." The hermit paused to spoke with a contemplating look, "Unless, perhaps you didn't do the sealing correctly, resulting in minor effects to take place or in this case after- effects." His face then turned grave as he turned his face away unable to look at his former student.

"W-wha-what d-do you m-mean?" The Fourth stuttered out, "Did s-something happen?" his voice wavering and eyes flashing with dread thinking all of the worst possible outcomes.

Tsunade spoke for the first time, her voice failing her, coming out quivering. "We're still trying to figure it out, Arashi."

The blond took a few deep breaths to settle his nerves. He shouldn't think of the worst possible scenarios because everything would be fine he tried to convince himself, but he had this feeling that this was only the beginning of all the bad things to come.

"How long have I been out?" speaking in a cool tone, he turned to Sarutobi, who had yet to speak, " You have been in a coma for about two weeks, which is surprising for the medic-nins said you would probably be out for a minimum of a month."

Nodding in response, Arashi turned to face the window, looking outside to see that many of the buildings were repaired, but the village was a far cry from being anything like it was before. He frowned in thought, the village was at its most vulnerable state right now and if an attack were made, they wouldn't stand a chance considering how many shinobi were lost during the battle with the nine-tailed fox.

Silence reined over them for a while as the Yellow Flash of Konoha sat completely still with his head facing the window once again. "I see." He spoke calmly.

"My son..."

"What?" The Fourth Hokage stayed silent as the other three occupants glanced at each other worriedly. Arashi was almost taking this _too _calmly for their liking and just like his name implies, it's 'the calm before the storm.'

"M-my s-son...Naruto, where's Naruto?"

The three elders stood there not knowing how to approach the question, contemplating how to answer.

The Fourth whispered something softly, but they all heard it. "He's all I have left."

"Arashi, you're not quite stable at the moment, perhaps-"

"My son!" The blond yelled, panic written on his face, "Where's my son?!" Jiraiya ran to his student holding his arms down, holding him in place and preventing him from getting up. "Calm down, Arashi!"

"No, no! Where the hell is my baby?!"

By now, the Toad Sannin was losing his grip and struggling, so the others stepped forward holding him back as he struggled to break free. "Arashi, ple-"

"LET ME GO!! I NEED TO SEE HIM! WHERE IS HE?!" He quickly went from panic to hysterics yelling incoherent things and demanding his child. The three were at a loss of what to do. They have never seen Arashi act like this and Tsunade couldn't take it any more.

"He's _dead_, Arashi! Is that what you want to hear? Is it?!" She yelled his incessant babbling to get him to listen. Sarutobi looked at her in disapproval of her approach while a frown of displeasure and a scowl marred Jiraiya's face, but the Slug Sannin paid no heed to them.

He stilled in his movements, frozen in place, looking at her blankly. "W-what?"

Tsunade suddenly looked uncomfortable, her words finally catching up with her and she found herself unable to speak or look him in the eye. Jiraiya chose that moment to step in. Tsunade sighed in relief, she had never been so happy to have him in the same room as her until now.

"We found you unconscious not far from where you performed the sealing," Jiraiya spoke, "but your son was nowhere to be found. He searched for him everywhere but to no avail." The Third then spoke grimly, "It is hard to believe that a child could survive something like this through all the wreckage. I'm sorry, my friend."

Arashi just sat frozen as they cautiously let him go, making sure that he wouldn't run or do something he may regret.

"Leave." Came a soft, firm reply, making them all turn to him. "Arashi-" The Third spoke. "I said leave! GET OUT!!" It looked like he was on the verge of going hysterical like before so they all left the room quickly.

The next day, they all visited him with a couple of others, one being Kakashi, but he refused to acknowledge them. He wouldn't eat or speak to anyone and just stared out the window with an emotionless face and dull eyes.

He couldn't think of anything but that one day.

The day, he, the Fourth Hokage survived the sealing of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

The day, the demon was destroyed in the villagers' eyes.

The day, his son, Kazama Naruto died.

The day, the he lost everything...

It took two days from his awakening for the information to finally sink in and Arashi cried for the first time in years. He broke down and cried for days until he couldn't any more and outside the heavens were crying with him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey!! I hope that was okay! Plz review but go easy!!

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I wrote this chapter pretty quick so sorry if there are some mistakes and stuff! Review!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Orphaned Legacy**

Chapter 1

In the meantime, the village was repairing itself at an alarming rate and life was finally becoming normal again. The Yondaime spent a month in the hospital mostly due to his mood swings and instability. He was passed as stable after the first week but was forced to reside there to make sure that he was fine both mentally and physically.

At first, he refused to speak to anyone but a select few. Little by little, the blond opened up if only a bit until he released all the emotions that were bottled up inside, reaching the point of another breakdown.

He often drifted between the bridge of fantasy and reality, daydreaming of things nobody knew, but they can only imagine. They all knew that he didn't cry for just his son, though. His tears fell for his wife, as well as all the shinobi lost and the families who lost too much to be replaced; he even went as far as to cry for the nine-tailed demon fox.

Although he did this, he mostly cried for himself. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn't find it in himself to care anymore. He had lost everything that day.

"You can only truly lose something when you lose all hope." Arashi jumped, startled and snapping his head around so fast that he almost got backlash.

The Sandaime sighed heavily as he sat down in the unoccupied chair that rested next to the hospital bed.

"You've gone so deep, Arashi that you fail to see all the things that you have gained, and that all the sacrifices that were made were for the people and this village."

The Fourth had long turned back to the window and made no acknowledgement that he had even heard a word.

In a hoarse voice, "What have I gained" turning and giving Sarutobi a bitter smile, "What have I gained that is truly important enough to lose my son?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Yumi-chan, would you like to go on a date with me?" The nineteen year old blond asked._

_The said girl looked up at him and replied, "No."_

_Arashi looked at her, hope fading him his eyes, "O-oh, sorry I bothered you then." He slumped his shoulders, turning swiftly and started to walk away at a fast pace but stopped when he heard someone running and calling out to him._

"_Arashi-kun!"_

"_Huh?" He turned to see his crush running up to him, panting lightly, "Why did you leave so fast?"_

_Arashi just gave her a look that said, 'Are you stupid?' causing her to scowl up at him. "You never let me finish." She spoke._

"_Let you finish?"_

_She gave a small nod. "I wouldn't like to go on a date with you," Arashi shoulders slumped even more and bowed his head at the rejection, "I'd love to."_

_Arashi's head snapped up and stared at her in confusion. "W-what did you say?"_

_Yumi's eyes glinted in amusement and she outright laughed at him. "I said that I'd love to unless to changed your mind already."_

_His eyes widened, "No! I mean no, of course not." He brought his arms up and started to wave them defensively in front of his face. _

"_Good." She smiled in satisfaction._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"_I-I'm so sorry Yumi-chan!!"_

"_It's okay Arashi, but why are you so nervous today. You're acting like you did on our first date." She laughed at the memory while Arashi blushed in humiliation._

"_Aww...are you blushing?" Teasing the blond was so fun. 'He's such a macho-man.' (Hahaha...that sounds soo weird!)_

"_No!"_

"_Okay, okay! No need to get all defensive about it." Since the day Arashi asked Yumi out, they have been dating for a bit over two years._

"_I'm sorry, Yumi-chan. I just wanted tonight to be perfect that's all." He spoke as he recalled the ruined dinner plans because the reservations were somehow not there, the rain storm as they were leaving, making Yumi cook them dinner at his house, the lights going out, the candles causing a fire-"_

"_ARASHI!!!" His thought process was interrupted as he looked at his annoyed girlfriend, "I said why did you want tonight to be perfect?" She huffed out._

"_I-I just wanted to ask you something, that's all."_

"_What?"_

"_Huh?"_

_She sighed in exasperation, "What did you want to ask me? Honestly, how did I ever end up with a man as dense as you?"_

"_It's alright. I'll ask you another time. It wasn't that important anyway." The blond waved his hand dismissively as to prove a point._

_Yumi let out another sigh, "Just to tell you, you shouldn't be surprised if I left you one of these days." She teased, laughing lightly. "You wouldn't." He spoke in a serious voice._

_She looked at Arashi questionably but said nothing. He then turned to her and she was surprised to see his eyes burning with intensity. _

_Taking a deep breath, 'It's now or never.' Arashi took a small jewelry box out of his pocket and kneeled down in front of her. _

"_I've been trying to make tonight perfect for you, Yumi-chan, so that I could ask you." Her eyes widened, not expecting something like this. "Will you marry me?"_

_She just stared at him speechless and realized that he was still waiting for her answer, jumped up and hugged him. "Yes, yes!"_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Arashi let out a small smile as he remembered those days. They were the happiest days of his life. He had long realized that his wife's could not be prevented no matter how much he mourned. It didn't mean that it didn't hurt though. Oh no, because the pain suffocated him, but his son, his beautiful baby boy's death just killed him and sent him to a living hell that made him feel numb inside. His baby didn't even live longer than a day because of him.

"You've forgotten what is truly important. As a leader, it is disappointing," The blond hung his head in shame and humiliation. "But as a father, it is commendable."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Arashi" A soft voice called out as Yumi hugged her husband once he came home._

"_Hmm?" The Yondaime buried his head into his wife's hair and closed his eyes._

"_I h-have s-something to t-tell you." She stuttered as the blond opened his eyes and voiced his confusion. "What is it, love?"_

"_I'm pregnant." _

_Two seconds later there was an awed yell and then a thud._

_Yumi rolled her eyes at the sight of her husband on the floor. _

"_So much for being a macho-man, of all the ways he could have taken the news, he just had to faint." She mumbled, kneeling beside him._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_I've decided on a name."_

_Arashi looked up to see Yumi standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Have you?" He questioned as he pulled her into his lap as he sat down and wrapped his arms around her. She was three months pregnant but one could barely tell. They were already told that they were going to have a son when Tsunade checked up on her._

_He picked up a cup of tea, drinking from it, "Yup! I decided to name him Tori."(1) Arashi sputtered in his tea, causing Yumi to look at him in worry._

"_I'm okay, I'm okay. Tori? You want to name our son a bird? All the shinobi in the village are going to laugh at him!"_

"_Shinobi? Who said that I was going to let our child become a shinobi? I'm not a one, so why should our son be one?"_

_Arashi just looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, quickly changing the subject._

"_Why that name?" He asked hastily._

"_Why? Is there something wrong with that name?" She whispered threateningly._

"_No! No, no, of course not!" Yumi just gave him an accusing glare, causing him to wince inwardly._

"_Umm..." Her glare just intensified, making him sweat. "Okay, okay! I don't like the name because it just doesn't fit. When I pictured having a son, I would never-and I mean never name him something like that!! I want my legacy t-"_

"_Arashi!"_

"_Alright," The blond sighed, "Well, there was a name that I keep on forgetting to mention." He said as he put his tea down and wrapped his arms around Yumi once again._

"_Oh? And what's that?" She leaned back into him._

"_Naruto." _

"_Naruto?" She spoke, trying the name out._

"_Mm-hmm," He murmured as he rested his chin on top of her head. "Kazama Naruto."_

"_Naruto...I like it." _

"_Better than bird." Arashi whispered into her hair._

"_What was that?"_

"_Nothing, love." _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arashi looked down at his hands and took a shuddering breath. "I see blood on my hands." Sarutobi looked down at his hands that were spotless and then back up at him.

Jiraiya walked in quietly, "You have no blood." He stood at the edge of the bed. "Such is the life of a shinobi."

Jiraiya may be a pervert, no scratch that, a super pervert, and he may be loud and brash and constantly doing his research, but he knew his student. He understood what his student meant because he was there throughout Arashi's childhood, leading him through the trials of being a shinobi and all the risks and sacrifices that are taken to protect the village at all costs. The Sannin walked up to the window, staring out onto the village.

"Free yourself, Arashi."

"Free myself? Free myself?! How can I free myself when all I see in these hands are blood! I have the blood of many, but I don't see their blood on me!"

Both Sarutobi and Jiraiya heard the unspoken statement behind it like it was ringing over and over again.

'_I see my son's blood' _

The white-haired Sannin glanced at his student in disappointment, "Can you not see that you are the one making yourself suffer?" He then whispered, "It will fade with time." and walked out of the room with the Sandaime behind him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!" A chuunin ran toward Konoha's Yellow Flash. "The demon is at the border! We are trying to hold it off for as long as possible, but it isn't doing much!"_

"_Gather all the chuunin and jounin you can find and tell them to protect the border!!" _

"_Hai, Hokage-sama!"_

_Arashi turned to another chuunin, "Gather all the villagers and genin you can find and lead them to the underground passageways." Yelling above the panic and destruction around him._

"_Hai!"_

_There is no way to completely kill a demon. The only way to 'destroy' the demon is to seal it in something. A vessel of some sort. A living vessel-"_

"_Yondaime-sama!"_

"_What now!" He roared at the jounin who appeared in front of him. _

"_I'm sorry to interrupt, but Yumi-sama is in labor!"_

"_What?!" His eyes widened in surprise. 'Why now of all times?'_

_Nodding to the jounin, he ordered him to Konoha's border and then took off to find his wife._

"_Yumi!"_

"_Arashi-kun..." She whispered, feeling weak as the medic-nin handed her her son. "He looks just like you."_

"_Is that?" He didn't bother finishing the question as Yumi nodded her head weakly. Naruto was sleeping soundly in his mother's arms as Arashi brushed his cheeks, which caused him to wake up revealing cerulean orbs identical to that of Arashi's. _

"_Why didn't you send for me sooner?" Arashi turned his concerned eyes over to her._

"_I didn't...want to worry you...even more...than I have to. You've been...so busy with studying and...focusing on destroying the...demon these past few weeks that...I thought I shouldn't bother...you, especially at a time...as crucial as this."_

_Arashi then noticed how pale she was and her breathing was abnormally high. She started to tremble and the medic-nin had to take the baby from her arms._

"_What's wrong? What's wrong with her?!" He yelled at the medic-nins._

"_There were birth complications, Hokage-sama. It was a choice between her life or her son's and she chose his. I'm sorry, but she's lost too much blood. There is nothing we can do."_

"_Yumi! Yumi!! Stay with me, love. I-I need you, please!"_

"_Take care...of Naruto, Arashi-kun. Promise...me..." Tears started to roll down her face._

"_Don't do this! Don't leave me!" Arashi wiped her tears away, trying to hold back his own._

"_P-promise me...that you'll...always be...there...to care for him...and l-love him...please..."_

"_I-I promise." _

"_Yumi, I-I found a way to rid the demon." Her eyes widened a bit and then she smiled. "I k-knew... you would." She whispered as she closed her eyes._

"_Yumi! YUMI!!!"_

_She slowly opened her eyes and whispered, "I...l-love...you...s-so much..." _

"_I love you, too." He whispered back as he kissed her eyelids that he knew would never open again._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A knock resounded on the door and Tsunade stepped in.

"Arashi?"

He snapped out of his daze, only to realize that the morning was gone. When did Sarutobi leave?

As if reading his mind, Tsunade responded, "Sarutobi left long ago when you drifted off." She pointed to the clock that hung on the wall.

Arashi's jaw dropped. Had he been thinking about their conversion that long? Hours had passed, but only seemed like mere moments as he was reliving his memories. It then dawned on him that maybe that's why the hours passed effortlessly. He welcomed and relished the memories closest to his heart, playing them over and over again.

"Arashi..."

The Yondaime turned to the Slug Sannin, looking at her questionably.

"Today is your last day. You are released from the hospital. That is unless you want to stay longer." She teased him playfully with a glint in her eye. She knew Arashi hated the hospital right now and would do anything to get out.

"Are you ready?" That question alone had so many hidden meanings in it. Tsunade watched him carefully through narrowed eyes to see how he would take it.

Arashi nodded, "I'm ready." He gave her a genuine smile that lit his face up and she could see the old Arashi resurfacing. She caught his meaning and couldn't help but smile back.

'_I'm ready to heal.'_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I hope it was okay!!

Plz Review!!

Much Love!!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Well, for all of you guys that were wondering what happened to Naruto, this is the chapter!! Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Orphaned Legacy**

Chapter 2

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Soon after the Kyuubi was defeated, the Yondaime was found alive and rushed to the hospital. The people had no time to celebrate for as they repaired their homes and mourned the lives of those who passed._

_In the meantime, the Third and Jiraiya sent out a search party that was classified from all the villagers. Of course, the shinobi themselves didn't know the reason for their actions but did as they were told._

_The mission proved to be a failure._

_On the other side of the village a cry was heard. It was barely heard over all the noise and nobody seemed to notice but an elderly lady. She was beautiful in her given age of seventy and had an air of wisdom around her. Her pure white hair was tied in a tight bun on the top of her head; she wore plain clothing that somehow complimented her omniscient image._

_Nobody was as close to the area as she was, so she readily listened for the next cry that sounded remotely like a child's and started her trek. The walk wasn't far as she arrived in the area near the sealing of the demon. The surrounding patch of land was completely devoid of any living thing, leaving broken debris in its wake; no doubt that the nine-tailed fox had been here, let alone destroyed._

_Another cry carried across the clearing, beyond the destroyed land, and into the forest. The elderly woman walked deeper and saw absolutely…_

_Nothing._

_The crying had stopped and no sound or sign of anything in the area was found. _

"_Perhaps, my old age has finally caught up to me."_

_Just then a soft whimpering was heard close to where she stood, then wailing broke out. The woman spun around quickly, her eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes landed on a midsized rock that lay innocently against a huge tree. The wails grew louder as she walked closer. She walked cautiously towards the rock and looked under it, giving a surprised gasp._

_In between the tree and rock smugly lay a tuff of blond hair accompanied with three whiskers on each cheek belonging to a beautiful baby boy that looked no older than a few weeks old and wrapped in a small blue blanket. On the corner of the blanket was a date that led one to assume it was the date of his birth. The most surprising thing was that the date was the exact day of the attack._

_How the baby stayed alive was in itself a miracle. Another miracle would be that the rock that the baby lay behind didn't kill him but protected him instead. It was unfathomable how the baby had survived this long without food or care, for that matter on his own._

'_This child's a survivor.' _

_The said baby immediately quieted when the old woman lifted him up and held him with great care. His eyes opened and curiously looked up and the woman had to hold back another gasp. Her old grey eyes met bright cerulean orbs that were deep enough to almost get lost in them._

"_How in the world did you get here, little one?" She questioned, tickling him under the chin causing the baby to giggle happily._

_The elderly woman gave a small smile and looked upward into the sky._

'_Is this a sign? Perhaps it is a message of life and regrowth in the form of this baby?' She looked down at the bundle that was currently yawning in her arms. _

'_It is truly a blessing in disguise, I suppose.' Spinning on her heel, she slowly made her way back to the village._

_As she made her way back to the village, her motherly instincts screamed at her to keep the baby for herself, but she knew that the child's parents might still be out there and that she couldn't afford to take care of him._

_Stopping at the entrance of a adequate sized building, she hesitantly entered the orphanage. It was much more crowded than before with the attack barely just passed._

"_Hello. I would like to leave this child here." The receptionist looked up sadly while glancing at the baby and gave a brief nod._

"_Please fill out these forms." The lady stated handing over the required papers._

"_I don't know anything about him except for his date of birth, I'm afraid. I found him in the forest not far from here, near the sealing." Handing them back with the only thing written on the form was the date._

_The receptionist's eyes widened in surprise but refrained from asking any questions. "I suppose that gives you the right to name him then."_

"_Is that so?"_

"_Yes."_

_She glanced down briefly and made up her mind._

"_Kyoutaka, Kyoutaka Ran." The woman nodded once again, writing down the name and gestured for her to follow her through the building._

_Down the hall, rooms were filled with little kids and children. Once they reached the last room, she gestured toward the crib that was next to the others closest to the door._

_The elderly woman slowly walked to the crib and gently lowered Ran, laying him down and looking at those curious eyes that were starring right up at her._

_She sighed and gripped something around her neck. Removing her hand, it revealed a beautiful carving of a phoenix made of silver. The phoenix was posed with its wings spread and its head turned one way, showing the eye was replaced with a sapphire gem. It was about two inches long and two inches wide, connected to a thick silver chain that hung low._

_She then delicately took her family heirloom off, being as she was the last of her family and felt her time coming soon. The elder lowered the necklace and placed it around the child's neck._

"_Take care of this heirloom, Ran. It's the only thing left of my family."_

_She turned toward the door and spoke to the receptionist, "Make sure he takes care of that necklace; it's a heirloom." Seriousness laced her voice on the border of threatening. Once again, the only thing the woman could do was nod and closed the door behind them as they left. _

_Two days later the elderly woman died._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So, the village was back to normal with the Yondaime once again able to return to his post. Everyone in the village knew that Arashi had lost his son in the battle not knowing any details, while the people stayed ignorant to the truth except for the elite shinobi and the elders of the council.

Arashi had definitely taken a disliking of the people knowing because wherever he went, he felt their pity, and although he was thankful of the people's care, he didn't need it or want it for that matter.

All saw that his once lively and passionate eyes had lost that spark in them. After a while, he started to regain those eyes and the sparks came back, but there was that one spark that they knew would never come back.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ran! Ran!"

A small seven-year old boy turned around to see his two best friends running to him from across the park.

This boy had spiky black hair (AN: this will be explained later!) and beautiful cerulean eyes that seemed to mesmerize people. He also sported a ninja mask that covered the lower portion of his face from others, though his reason was never clear. Ran wore a plain white long sleeve shirt and long black pants with his feet sporting sandals. He also wore his trademark phoenix necklace that he never really took off and had for as long as he could remember.

Ran smiled widely, careful to pull his sleeves completely over his wrists, nervously tugging at the fabric. He made a small one-handed wave as he stood there waiting for them.

"Oi! Where were you? What took you so long, Ran?"

The boy, who was named Yuri, then jumped on him causing them both to stumble and fall.

"Get off me, baka!"

"Gomen, gomen." He said rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "So, where were you?"

Yuri was an average height when it came to a seven- year old. He had beautiful violet eyes, a nicely tanned face, and brown hair cut short with the bangs longer in front, framing his face perfectly. He was very lively and active, but knew when to be serious, as well. He wore a dark blue T-shirt and a maroon-colored hoodie jacket that was left open and dark blue pants that matched his shirt, and finally sandals on his feet.

Yuri has been Ran's friend for as long as he could remember. They both lived in the orphanage. Originally, they had both stayed at a decent enough orphanage that could barely afford food for all the children because many of the parents and families of the children had died.

Since there were so many children, several were transferred to a different orphanage, which included both Ran and Yuri. Unfortunately, the one that they were sent to was in the lowest of Konoha's standard. The owner, Kimura Akira, took most of the money for himself and was abused to those that he thought were 'uncooperative.' The few children that did stay there were starved, beaten, and mentally harassed on a daily basis.

The other boy, Sanosuke, decided to walk instead, giving him a grin. Sanosuke was a bit taller than the both of them, wearing the standard ninja outfit since he came from a ninja family. He wore a black tank top under a fishnet shirt and khaki-colored shorts. He had dark grey-blue eyes and short black hair, as well. He was already picking up fangirls by the looks of it with his handsome face and charming character. Of course, it didn't really help that he was constant flirt. He apparently had no shame.

Sanosuke's family wasn't huge but was a well respected clan. After an unfortunate event, Sanosuke was the last living heir due to his parents being killed on a mission with no other family left. This happened about two years ago when he was just five years old.

"So? So? Where have to been?" Yuri was pretty much bouncing around with impatience.

"I told you that I had to do something before you left."

Sanosuke tilted his head to the side, "Like what?" looking on curiously.

"I just had to speak with Kimura-san about something, that's all."

Yuri's smile dropped immediately, "You _spoke _to Kimura." He stated, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he looked his friend up and down.

Ran willed himself to stop fidgeting under his friend's gaze and nodded slowly.

"Did I keep you waiting long?" Neither bothered answering him and just looked at him expectedly, refusing to drop the subject.

His expression changed and he turned his eyes to them pleadingly, "Just forget about it. It's not important, not enough for you guys to worry about, okay?" sighing in desperation.

"What did he want?" Sanosuke spoke calmly, throwing Yuri a warning look and turning to look at Ran.

"Nothing."

Sanosuke's eyes narrowed as well at this point. "I have a feeling that there wasn't much talking involved then." Ran stiffened slightly but quickly relaxed, but they both noticed it.

"What do you know?" Ran spat bitterly at him, eyes flashing dangerously until he just turned and walked away.

"W-wait!!" Yuri's arm shot out and grabbed Ran's wrist. He forcibly pulled him back which earned a yelp of surprise and a flinch of pain from Ran.

As Ran was spun around and was pulled toward his friend, his sleeve rid up a bit, showing slight discoloration on Ran's flawless pale skin.

"What is this?" Yuri's voice was hard and his eyes cold, his grip tightening causing Ran to wince noticeably.

"N-nothing." His response was the grip tightening even more. Ran struggled weakly but refused to voice his discomfort. He looked up indifferently and raised an eyebrow as if asking why it was any of his business, which made Yuri's temper flare even more.

He tugged at the fabric and pulled it up roughly, exposing Ran's whole forearm which was lined with bruises that were already turning a sickly purple-blackish color. He didn't need to look anywhere else on Ran's body to know that there would probably be bruises forming there too.

Yuri pulled his arm away but refused to release his companion's wrist until he received an explanation. Sanosuke merely placed a comforting hand on his shoulder but that did nothing to ease the pain he felt.

'Why didn't he come to me? I could have done something.' 'No, you would have just gotten in the way and cause both of you to be beaten.' A part of his conscience argued and felt it go back into the depths of his mind.

"You must understand, Yuri, that he did it because he cares for you. You know as well as I, that Kimura would be targeting you if there was any disobedience." Sanosuke's soothing voice spoke in his ear. Yuri turned to face Sanosuke, nodding and felt shame build up at letting his temper get the best of him. He really needed to work on that.

"Thank you, Sano." He whispered and looked at Ran, releasing his wrist. "I'm sorry, Ran."

Ran, who was rubbing his wrist lightly, looked at him and gave him a small nod in acknowledgement.

"I don't need you to protect me, though."

"I know."

"Then, wh-"

"I wanted to."

Sano grinned at him and spoke holding a comforting tone, "Next time you don't need to hide it from us." slinging an arm around his shoulder.

"I was scared of what you would say or do if I told you, especially with Yuri's temper." He shot the brunette a look, resulting in Yuri blushed in embarrassment and rubbing the bridge of his nose nervously.

"Y-yeah. I really need to work on that." He laughed nervously.

Sano just rolled his eyes and whacked him on the head. "What the heck was that for?!" He shouted in anger, holding his head protectively.

"There's no point in working on it. We'd have to have a miracle." He sighed. "But I guess that why I'm here. Someone has to keep you on a leash." Patting Yuri on the head much like one would with a dog.

"Why you..." He charged at the taller boy only to have him sidestep and trip him as he passed falling face first into the ground.

"See, you lost your temper...again."

Ran and Sano could hear him growling as he _tried_ to get up off the ground. The keyword was tried. Ran was laughing so hard that it hurt and made it hard to breathe with his injuries and all, so he didn't see the smiles of satisfaction that his friends shared.

Ran suddenly started to feel light-headed and gripped his head in pain.

"G-g-guys..."

Both of them didn't hear him as they bickered noisily.

"G-guys..." The pain was getting worse as it traveled to his midsection, where he was sure that was where most damage had been made.

"GUYS!"

"What!" They both shouted simultaneously as they turned and saw the look of pain on their friends face. They hurried to his side and held he steady as he swayed.

"Are you alright?" Sano voiced in concern.

"Yeah. You can tell us if there's something wrong, you know."

"Good." Ran nodded slightly. "Then maybe you can get some help."

"Wha-"

Ran didn't get to hear what they were going to say as the darkness blinded his vision and completely overtook him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"**So, you've finally come, brat."**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yay!! Done!! Whooooooooo!!! This chapter took a while. Sorry about the delay and hope you like this chapter!! I've been working on the later chapters and can't decide what I wanna do...soo stay tuned and...Review!

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: This chapter took longer than expected because I just simply didn't know how to introduce everything!! How that it's alright! Read the preview for the next chapter! Yay!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Orphaned Legacy**

Chapter 3

"**So, you've finally come, brat."**

Ran felt everything rushing back, snapping his eyes open and seeing, as if almost behind some fogged up tainted glass wall. He was seeing but yet he was not.

'W-where am I?'

Ran slowly sat up from his place on the sewer floor that looked _so _inviting. He stood up leisurely drenched from head to toe, gazing around at the dark sewer-like setting. Water was everywhere, dripping from the pipes overhead that gathered in a pool up to his ankles.

Ran could feel a tugging not only in his naval but also in a part of his soul. It pulled him toward a certain direction until he arrived at the entrance of a grand gate that was held by what seemed like a flimsy piece of paper with the kanji for seal on it.

"W-what...the...hell?"

"**You've finally called upon me, have you?"**

Ran looked up to see the Kyuubi, nine-tailed demon fox in all his glory and stumbled back, tripping over his own feet in the process and making himself look like a fool.

The demon fox laughed uproariously in slight amusement and...was that pride?

"**So, this is my vessel, eh? A weak human that's a bit too scrawny for my liking; although, I can most certainly fix that." **The demon stated as he gazed at his vessel's form.

'V-vessel...what does he mean by 'vessel'?'

Letting out a shuddering breath, Ran stuttered to find the words that just wouldn't come out.

"W-w-what-...w-where-...why-...h-h-h-how...ARGH!" Ran pulled his hair in frustration. This didn't make any sense!

"**I believe you forgot 'when' in your little speech there."**

'Maybe this isn't real...that's it!'

"This isn't real. It's just a dream...it's just a dream...just a dream..." Opening his eyes, he found that nothing had changed and tried again.

Fine, then, onto a different strategy.

"There's no place like home...there's no place like home...there's no place-" He closed his eyes, repeating this over an over again in a mantra like before, but also started clicking the heels of his sandals together..._pfft_..._like that does anything...as if..._

_Anyways..._

The Kyuubi laughed at the dark-haired boy. Humans are so entertaining to watch! Maybe this is why demons messed with them so much...throw something at them and watch them panic creating their own mass destruction and downfall!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ran!" Yuri and Sanosuke yelled as they scrambled to catch him as he collapsed.

"What's wrong with him?" Yuri yelled frantically.

Sanosuke shot him a look, "What do you think, you idiot?" he said while hefting Ran onto his back to piggyback him.

"What'd you say?!"

"Can you just make yourself useful for once and lead the way to the hospital? Geez..."

Yuri huffed in offense but quickly forgot it when he was reminded of his friend's current state. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just go, but don't forget. I'm gonna get you back!"

Sanosuke's smirk turned to a grin. "Wouldn't dream of it. Now let's get moving!" Sanosuke took off after Yuri, leaving in a jog towards the hospital.

Too bad Yuri was terrible when it came to directions, but an expert when it came to getting lost.

"IDIOT!!!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"There's no place like home..."

"**Listen, foolish human!"**

"-lace like home..."

"**You will pay me respect as the **_**king**_** of all Youkai and **_**most**_** powerful of all demons!"**

"-no place like home..."

"**ENOUGH! Shut your trap before I make you wish that you are sent to the seven depths of hell!" **The fox roared, baring his fangs as he released a large enough amount of killer intent to paralyze the delusional boy.

Ran trembled in fear, trying in vain to move his body but it wouldn't respond to any of his commands.

"S-s-s-seven d-depths...of...hell?" He managed to blurt out, mentally slapping himself for showing his fear in front of the supposed demon.

"**It's actually nine, hence why I am the most powerful demon, but that's not the point."**

"What are you? Where am I?" Ran questioned in total confusion. The demon just glared down at him, causing all the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end and chills to run down his spine. He could see now that this...monster in front of him was a demon, indeed.

"**We are currently residing deep within the depths of your mind."**

"Huh?"

The nine-tailed fox growled in aggravation, **"Damn you, Yondaime, condemning me to this prison and on top of that, sealing me in this idiot buffoon, as well." **he spat as he moved restlessly behind his cage.

Ran's eye twitched in irritation, "I'm right here you know, and who you calling an idiot, you useless furball!" pointing at him for added effect.

"**I would mind that tongue of yours, boy."**

"And if I don't? Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do or say?"

Surprisingly, the Kyuubi didn't show any sign of anger, it was more along the lines of amusement than anything else. **"Impressive. I suppose you show a bit of promise. You most certainly have bravery or perhaps it's just stupidity."**

The raven haired boy decided to ignore that comment and glanced around at his surroundings. "So, this is my mind? Why is it like this?" He gestured to the pipes and the sewer-like background.

"**It is how you designate it to be. Of course, you had done it subconsciously, but you have the power to change if you choose to due to it being your mind and all."**

He gave a simple nod and stored that information in the back of his mind, "I'll keep that in mind." He paused at the implication of that thought.

'Wait...if I'm in my mind...then how can I keep something in mind...if I'm already there...Does this mean that the furball can know whatever I'm thinking or something?!'

Ran grabbed his head in confusion, feeling the need to pull out his hair again. "I'm gonna get a headache soon. That, or just suffer from mental damage 'cause I think I'm gonna go insane by the end of all this,"

"**You truly are an idiot, aren't you?"**

"Shut up! I'm suffering from mental damage here, okay, and you're not helping!" He shouted, spewing the words out before his brain caught up with his mouth.

Ran stared blankly ahead, saying dumbly, "Wait...did I just say that I'm-"

"**Idiot, I'm stuck with an idiot." **The fox stated, not looking all that surprised, in fact, he looked kind of smug.** "Yes, yes you just admitted that you are incapable of handling anything of high standard when it comes to using your head, which is **_**apparently**_** mentally challenged."**

The boy scowled up at him and threw the fox a dirty glare. "You never answered the question. Who or what are you?"

"**I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, nine-tailed demon lord and king of all Youkai..."**

Ran pretty much just tuned the rest out of the fox's little speech because it seemed like it would be going on for a while anyway.

"**-reatest of all the tailed beasts-"**

"You like to hear yourself talk don't you?"

The Kyuubi growled low in his throat and glared fiercely at Ran, eyes boring deep and once again causing a shiver to run up is spine in fear. Ran broke eye contact first and tried to look anywhere but the fox demon.

"**Need I remind you, brat, to hold your tongue? I should rip it out next time." **Ran involuntarily shuddered at the thought. **"I may be stuck behind this cage, but I still demand respect as not only a demon but a demon lord, as well. And no **_**human **_**will change that fact, understood?"**

The raven haired boy nodded not trusting his voice for once.

"**As I have told you, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune-"**

"Wait! Didn't the Yondaime kill the Kyuubi? So, how can you be him then?"

The Kyuubi glowered at the boy, who gulped, remembering the warning that was made beforehand.

"**Seven years ago, someone summoned me to the mortal plane. This was no ordinary summoning, though. It messed with my mind and twisted all of my emotions into that of rage and anger, directing it towards your village. As a result, your Hokage had no other alternative but to seal me inside of something, a container or vessel of sorts."**

"It's...me, isn't it?"

"**Yes. You catch on quick, perhaps there's hope for you yet."**

"T-then...why me?" He spoke in a whispered tone, head bowed so the emotion on his face was unseen.

"**It is simply impossible to seal me inside a full grown adult, just because their chakra pathways have already been formed and molded. My chakra would have completely overwhelmed them, resulting in the vessel dying and the sealing to be a complete failure. The only solution was to use a newborn for the ceremony."**

The demon glimpsed at the boy for some sort of reaction, but his face was unseen, his head bowed low and his hair shadowing his face. The fox paused for a moment to let the information sink in before continuing on.

"**You were most likely a week old or perhaps younger when the sealing took place, which explains why you were the one chosen."**

Ran started trembling, only slightly but the Kyuubi saw it and tried to ignore it as his vessel stood in front of his cage sobbing silently and clutching himself.

"**Crying is a great sign of weakness. You must learn when it's okay and when it's not to show your emotions. This time it is alright to cry. Don't hold back." **The demon's gaze intensified as he looked beyond his cage bars to the one that contained him, his jailer.The only response he received was the boy tightening his hold and soft whimpers breaking through his lips.

"**I have heard others say that it is a weakness that either makes or breaks you. Which one are you?"**

Ran couldn't hold it in anymore and fell on his hands and knees crying openly. He couldn't stop; the tears just kept coming as images flashed through his mind.

_Kimura Akira beating him and so many others..._

_All his friends at the orphanage disappearing, dying one by one..._

_The lies that he's been told..._

"_Your mother was a whore..."_

"_Your father was a drunk...he didn't want you..."_

"It hurts..." He whispered hoarsely, one hand gripping at where his heart is. He knew the Kyuubi was watching him but he didn't care. "It hurts so much..."

_The Insanity..._

_The Screams..._

_The Blood..._

_The...Pain..._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Wait, Sano." Sanosuke ran past Yuri but slowed down at his request. They have been _everywhere _and still couldn't find the hospital. Both had even asked for directions but Yuri always found a way to screw it up and somehow they ended up in exactly the same place they began.

"What is it?"

"It's Ran, he's crying..." Yuri spoke softly.

"Eh?" Sanosuke tilted his head to the side and found that Ran had tears running down his face, soaking his shirt and clutching at the material like it was a lifeline. The sobs were barely audible muffled into his back.

The taller boy carefully placed Ran on the ground and gently wiped his tears away with his fingers.

Yuri kneeled by them. "What do you think he's dreaming about?"

"I don't think he's having a dream, Yuri, it's more like a nightmare."

"Then we should wake him up."

"We can't. He has to do this alone."

"B-but that doesn't mean that he's truly alone, right? He has us."

Sanosuke gave the other boy a small smile. "Hai, he has us."

"Hang on, Ran, you're not alone."

Yuri glanced up and found that they were just across from the hospital. "Hey! The hospital was there all along!" He jumped around excitedly until he heard a low growling sound and slowly turned his head to face a very pissed off Sanosuke.

"This is completely and utterly your fault!"

"Hey! I said that I'd find the hospital and I did, so don't blame me!"

"You are so lucky that we're in a rush because I would make you so sorry right now!"

"Maa, Sano-chan, you're hurting my feelings."

"..."

'Uh-oh. No response. That can't be good.' Thought Yuri.

"Run." He turned slightly before taking off in a sprint in the direction of the hospital.

"You better run because you're gonna be bedding in that hospital for a month once I'm through with you!" He yelled as he chased after the brunette as fast as he could with Ran on his back.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ran's eyes held tight as he tried to bury the reality of everything and just forget. He wanted to forget everything. He was alone.

"_He has us."_

"_Hai, he has us."_

"_Hang on, Ran, you're not alone."_

The boy opened his eyes in shock as those words seemed to echo off the walls.

"Yuri!" Ran eyes darted from side to side as he looked for his friends. "Sano!" He closed to eyes again and covered his ears from the words. They weren't here.

"**You can close your eyes to reality but not to the memories."**

Ran opened his eyes and lifted his head cautiously to stare at the demon curiously. "Why are you helping me?"

"**Don't think too much of it. I'm doing this because if you go insane, then where will I be?" Kyuubi spoke indignantly.**

Ran lifted the curves of his mouth and whispered sincerely. "Thank you, Kyuu."

"**Who said you could call me that? Don't mock me, brat!"**

"Ran, My name is Ran, not 'brat' or 'boy' but Ran."

He spoke in a condescending manner.** "I will call you as I please."**

"Then, I'll call you Kyuu." Ran said simply.

"**Listen, kit-"**

"Kit, I like that name. What does it mean?"

The nine-tailed demon sighed heavily.** "Our time is almost up."**

"Huh?"

"**You will be waking in the real world soon, kit."**

Ran smiled brightly when the fox unintentionally called him that. "But I want to stay here...with you."

Kyuubi's eyes seemed to softened but the emotion flashed by so fast that Ran thought he imagined it, but he knew he didn't.** "Don't worry, kit, I'll always be here whether I like it or not."**

"Is that supposed to comfort me, Kyuu?"

"**I'm **_**terribly **_**sorry if it doesn't." **The demon replied sarcastically.** "And don't call me that!"**

"I just asked you that because, to be honest, it does comfort me."

Surprise fleeted across his face but he changed to stoic expression immediately. **"We will continue this soon."**

The boy nodded and turned to leave but paused with his back turned. Slowly, the sewer-like essence was gone and replaced with a cozy warm feeling. His surroundings molded to that of a forest, which held a natural look and feel to it, almost as if it were real.

"I'm sorry."

He didn't get to see the other's face as he spiraled into a comfortable darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Eyelids slowly opened and closed quickly to adjust to the sudden light. A soft groan emitted as he tried to blink out the haziness of his vision.

'What happened? The pain...demon...Yondaime...Kyuubi!' Ran shot up so fast that he was rewarded with a sudden dizziness, but shook it off.

Ran looked around, figuring he was in the hospital by the looks of it. He reached up and sighed in relief as his mask was still in place.

All of a sudden, the door bursts open and he unexpectedly finds himself with an armful of Yuri while Sanosuke trailed behind.

"Ran! Ran! I'm so happy you're okay!" Yuri shouted loudly, taking a sly glance at Sanosuke. It was payback time.

"Sano was so worried. He was panicking and crying and everything, but luckily I was there. He also kept getting us lost when we tried to find the hospital, but I also found that too!"

Ran blinked once and then twice. He shifted his gaze to Sanosuke who was currently scowling at the grinning boy.

"Really, Sano? You were that worried about me?"

"Umm..." Sanosuke shifted uncomfortably refusing to meet his gaze.

Ran then pounced on him, hugging him tightly and burying his face in the crook of the other boy's neck. "You're the best, Sano!"

Now Sanosuke was confused, terribly so. He knew that Ran was too smart to fall for something like that, so what was he doing?

"Just play along." He heard that was barely audible so only he could hear. He gave a small smirk only to change it to a smile as Yuri's eyes shifted to him.

"Of course, Ran. I'm your friend and actually care unlike Yuri who just kept yelling at me for trying my very hardest." It was ironic that the roles had actually been switched between them, making Sanosuke snicker inwardly at the face Yuri was pulling.

"O-oi! I was just kidding!"

At that moment both Ran and Sanosuke broke out laughing at the brown-haired boy again. Yuri pouted childishly, "Why are you guys always so mean to me?" then he suddenly broke out in laughter as well.

"So," Ran started as he finally caught his breath. "When can I leave?"

"You can actually leave now. The nurse said that you are fine and that your bruises would heal, but I don't think she really cared all that much."

Ran sighed, no one did except for Sanosuke and Yuri...but that was enough.

He quickly hopped out of the bed and realized that he was still wearing his clothes much to his relief. Ran bolted past his two friends and down the hall yelling, "Last one out has to buy me ramen!"

Sanosuke and Yuri looked at each other then at the disappearing form of their friend and sped after him. They both knew that he loved ramen to no end.

Ran was looking back at them and didn't realize that someone was right in front of him, causing him to collide roughly with said person and falling to the floor.

"Oof!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Preview for Chapter 4:**

"_Oof!"_

"_Hey, you alright, kid?"_

_Ran tilted his head up to come face to face with a blond man that had a strong broad figure. It was none other than the Yondaime. Time seemed to have stopped as cerulean met cerulean, their eyes bore into each other. This was the Fourth Hokage, the man who sealed the Kyuubi in him and...the man who ruined his life._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yeah! I'm finally done!! Don't worry! Ran won't hate the Yondaime or anything...or will he? Hahahah...read and find out!! Review! You guys have been awesome, so please keep it coming!!

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Hey guys! This chapter definitely took longer cuz I wanted to add more but I guess you guys will have to wait! Hahaha…Hope you like this chapter!! I worked really hard on it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Orphaned Legacy**

Chapter 4

"Oof!"

"Hey, you alright, kid?"

Ran tilted his head up to come face to face with a blond man that had a strong broad figure. It was none other than the Yondaime. Time seemed to have stopped as cerulean met cerulean, their eyes bore into each other. This was the Fourth Hokage, the man who sealed the Kyuubi in him and...the man who ruined his life.

Ran couldn't say anything, couldn't even look away. Heck, he even stopped breathing for a bit. He pretty much zoned out for a while lost in his thoughts, taking his time to study the figure before him. There was no doubt that he was everything that one would expect of a Hokage. The Yondaime looked every bit like the great leader that people saw him as. He pretty much radiated power and authority commanding the respect of those around him whether he did it intentionally or not.

Millions of questions raced through his mind as he struggled to get them out. No. There was no point in asking. Ran didn't know if anyone knew but he wasn't going to take that chance either way. No one had to know because it was better that way. Ran was pretty sure that the fact that he contained a demon would blind the villagers and in their fear and confusion, would cause an uproar.

Ran blinked out of his stupor and reined tight control of his emotions, making sure not to slip. His face became blank and unreadable as he looked at the Hoakage.

The Yondaime was by far a handsome man, and many sought for his attention in which he never gave a second glance at. It was very well known that the Fourth Hokage had been married no matter how much he tried to hide it due to potential enemies. He often gained the sympathy of those that he encountered not only for the loss of his late wife but for his son, as well. Nobody knew the name of his son, except a select few and the Yondaime apparently liked it that way.

The Fourth stood tall, but maybe that was because his tush was still glued to the floor. He wore a navy jumpsuit under a jounin vest and on top of that was his trademark cloak, which was white with red flames licking at the hem. The Hokage was broad shouldered; his head was littered with bright, spiky blond hair that came above his shoulders and cerulean eyes that looked suspiciously familiar.

Ran narrowed his eyes as his gaze connected with the other man's again. They were too familiar too ignore but maybe he was just too paranoid.

Ran knew this because he often spent hours looking at his reflection, taking in every detail as his eyes studied the masterpiece that was his face. No. He was no masterpiece; he was second rate, a washout, an imperfection, a horribly disfigured imperfection. He wondered what Kimura saw in him when he would scrub himself raw at night until he felt even remotely clean with that_ man's_ sick words ringing through his ears.

"_You're beautiful, Ran, did you know that?"_

Every time he would hear how beautiful or pretty he was, it only made him hate himself even more. He never could look in the mirror without feeling cold and empty, almost like a hollow shell. All he could see was a weak, sad, pitiful boy with pale skin and dull eyes. He never saw what others saw.

"_Your hair, it's so bright, it makes me sick, yet makes you look like an angel."_

And that was because they were all liars. That's what they all were. All who said that didn't see him and lied to him, claiming he was beautiful. Their words made him sick and want to hurl.

"_Your face is flawless, especially these pesky scars. You're so beautiful when you're in pain, but you know what I love the most, Ran? Your eyes…" _

That's why he hid his face. He couldn't stand it and would break all the mirrors he could find when he lost control. That's also why he dyed his hair, and even though Kimura was furious about it, earning him another beating, he still thought it was worth it. No matter how much he hid it, he still hated himself.

He hated his hair…

He hated his eyes…

He hated his face…

He hated himself…

He was useless and pathetic, hideous compared to Sanosuke and Yuri because he was ugly...on the inside and outside. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't hideous, and he wasn't useless or pathetic but those thoughts always came back, drilled into his head after being told over and over again.

Ran shook his head of those thoughts. It was useless thinking of things that will never change and focused on the Fourth. 'His eyes…they're like mine. No…I'm just being paranoid, I suppose. For my sake, I hope so.' Ran quickly looked away. 'I'm just being stupid. What am I thinking?'

Ran found that he couldn't even look at this man's face anymore. Maybe it was the resemblance that they used to have, but looking at him gave him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that he wanted to be rid of.

He quickly concluded that this man made him sick and made him uncomfortable that he couldn't even look at the Fourth's face, especially when it came to his eyes.

It was nothing personal, really. He didn't see the point in blaming someone for something they had no control over and just left it at that. It was truly pointless and wasted time and energy that he wasn't willing to give.

It was a different story if you're asking about forgiveness, though. He may not hate the guy, oh no—far from it, actually. He almost admired him for the things he sacrificed for this village…almost. So, even though he didn't hate the man, it definitely didn't mean he liked him either. There was just no animosity; he was completely neutral, I suppose.

The Fourth merely raised an eyebrow at the kid's odd behavior as he saw his eyes narrow and they widen slightly in recognition before turning away. Perhaps the kid was awestruck that he just bumped into the great Yondaime, he didn't really know right now. He could hear Kakashi snickering behind him so he figured that his student thought the same thing too.

"Ran!" All of them turned to see two boys running at a fast rate towards them and slowly down panting heavily. Ran stood up and just blinked at them. "What happened to you?" He asked softly.

Indeed, both Yuri and Sanosuke were looking worse for wear as they were covered with different types of liquids and had blotches of powder all over their person.

"Baka! We were chasing after you but people kept getting in the way!" Yuri huffed in anger, and decided to blame it on the raven haired boy.

Sanosuke snorted, "More like you ran into the people and objects we passed, dragging me down with you. Don't blame him for your clumsiness, moron."

Again, Yuri and Sanosuke began bickering loudly while Ran rubbing his temple in annoyance. He was so not in the mood for this and felt like lashing at someone but kept it in, taking deep breaths and counting to ten…twice.

Eventually, the two quieted down and found Ran standing in front of them, arms crossed and a glazed look in his eyes. Twin shouts snapped him out of his thoughts as he looked at his friends in confusion to see them pointing past him with star struck faces.

Ran just blinked once again not bothering to turn around to look at who they were pointing at. He figured that the two had left already.

"It's rude to point, you know." Arashi teased lightly.

Both boys immediately put their arms down and looked ashamed, much like a kicked puppy would. Ran rolled his eyes; he just wanted to leave this godforsaken hospital. Was that too much to ask for?

Their was a moment of silence before both boys rushed past him and just started bursting with questions, not bothering to let the man answer and babbling about the greatness that is the Yondaime. He definitely wasn't in the mood now and sighed in irritation.

"-and that's Ran." Ran glanced up for a second, giving them a two finger salute and quickly looking away.

He could feel the Hokage and the gray haired man staring at him curiously but he ignored them completely, waiting for an opportunity to leave.

Sanosuke peeked over at him as the other boy started to daydream again. 'Is that normal?' He wondered in concern. "Ran, why are you so quiet?"

"No reason."

"Come on, Ran! It's the Yondaime!" Yuri shouted causing all of them to wince from his obnoxiously loud, boisterous tone as he jumped up and down.

"I know who he is."

"Then why-"

"I just don't think he likes to be fawned over. I mean look at him, you can practically feel his unease coming off in waves. Calm yourselves, you're swooning like fangirls or more specifically _fanboys_." Arashi looked at him in surprise while Kakashi snickered behind him once again.

Sanosuke had a glint in his eyes that Ran didn't really like and eyed him suspiciously. "Sure you're not jealous?"

Ran began rubbing his arms and tugged at his mask frantically, and glared at him in offense. "Yeah, because you know what happens when people do that." He snapped in a deadly calm voice.

Yuri immediately paled, and glared at Sanosuke for bringing up the touchy subject. "Sano, you're such an idiot." He whispered under his breath.

They had all seemed to forget that both Arashi and Kakashi were right behind them and could hear everything they said. They glanced at each other in confusion and slight interest.

"O-oh God…Ran…I-I'm s-sorry."

Of course, Ran didn't tell his friends why it was always a touchy subject and never intended to. He trusted them with all his heart and he just couldn't tell them. What would they think of him then? All they knew was that he hated to be coddled and pitied, but what he loathed more then anything was compliments on his features. He didn't freak out as much when it's someone he didn't know, but strangers were a whole different story.

Ran always closed off for a while after those incidents. Then would apologize for his foolishness, but every time they asked about it he would just avoid the subject or tell them not to worry about it.

"I-I just don't feel well. Can we go?" He stated quietly facing away from them.

Yuri and Sanosuke immediately looked alert and turned their full attention to him. "Why? Do you need to go back to bed? Maybe you should stay a little bit longer."

"No! Err…I mean no…you know how I hate hospitals, something to do with all the white and the sterile smell. It drives me crazy sometimes, maybe that's the reason people lose their minds here."

Arashi chuckled at that because he full heartily agreed. He never really felt the same about hospitals since…

He shook his head to clear those thoughts and looked at the kid that had most of his face covered by a mask. He was most interesting indeed. What Arashi thought was unusual was that the kid, Ran, almost seemed familiar like he's seen him before, which was impossible because Arashi had a very good memory. The other unusual thing was that nothing about the boy was recognizable except for his eyes. They were so much like his yet he knew that wasn't possible.

"Yeah, I guess we should go then, right Sano?" Yuri said with a disappointed tone while Sanosuke nodded in agreement.

Ran eyes softened, "We still have time before we have to go back. I suppose we could stay a bit longer." Yuri whooped in joy and was apparently still excited so he grabbed both of Ran's hands and started to twirl around in circles.

"Y-yuri, s-stop! I c-can't hold o-on much l-longer!"

"Don't worry, Ran! I have you!"

"That's not what I meant-" Ran started coughing and roughly shoved Yuri away, slamming into the wall before falling on all fours, while Arashi caught Yuri before anything happened.

Sanosuke watched in confusion, "Ran, what-"

Ran coughing turned to violent hacking as he covered his mouth with one hand, and to the onlookers' horror, blood started to soak his mask and seep through his fingers, running down his arm and staining his white shirt. A nurse that stood behind Ran then screamed, pointing at his back where blood started to soak through the entirety of the backside of his shirt.

"Should've left when I had the chance." Ran chuckled weakly before he started once again and was dragged away by the medics.

Yuri choked down a sob and whispered to Sanosuke. "He used the lash." The words were so faint that Sanosuke, who was less than a foot away from him strained to hear it, but what they didn't know, was that the two shinobi behind them heard it as well.

Arashi furrowed his brow in suspicion and slight confusion. He was just trying to get away from Tsunade and this is what he gets.

'That woman sure gives off bad luck.' He thought before speaking briefly to the boys and convincing them to go home.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, Ran opened his eyes groggily, slowly rising and sighing disappointedly as he scanned his surroundings. "This hospital is really getting on my nerves."

Ran plopped back down moodily and tried to go to bed but sleep wouldn't come; it rarely did nowadays for some reason. "Maybe I have insomnia. I won't put it past my…unique nature anyways."

_Tick_

_Tock_

_Tick_

_Tock_

"Argh! I need to get out of here! This place is driving me insane!"

Looking to the right, he spotted his mask lying on a table next to his bed. He smiled as he saw no blood on it. A medic must have cleaned it for him while he slept since it was already dry.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, he noted that it was a few minutes until midnight before he opened the window and jumped out. Using his chakra, he slowly made his way to the bottom, which wasn't far, considering that he was only on the third floor. He then used a few boxes and such to hop onto a rooftop and made his way toward the Hokage mountain via rooftops.

Hopping on the rooftops at his own pace, Ran could vaguely see someone else swiftly heading towards the eastern gate. His headband glinted in the moonlight, but he couldn't remember which village it was.

'Sand? Rain? Waterfall? Cloud? Yes! That's it! It was Cloud.' Ran followed the ninja, making sure to keep a safe distance away. 'Where have I seen him before?'

The Cloud ninja soon stopped and met up with another ninja that seemed to also be from Cloud. Ran scrambled to find somewhere to hide and ducked down in the alleyway just below the rooftop in which the two ninja stood.

"Is it time?" One spoke.

"Almost, are you sure this is a good idea? Do you know what could happen if we're caught?" The other spoke nervously.

"Shut up! Just meet me by the East gate, I'll have the girl by then."

"You'll be after the Hyuuga heiress, right?"

"What's your point?"

"The treaty has yet to be signed and even if it was, something like this would negate it. This would no doubt start a war between the Cloud and the Leaf."

The other ninja, which Ran finally recognized as the brother of the Cloud village's leader, looked uneasy for a moment before snapping at his comrade.

"Fool, the treaty was a setup, anyways. Are you questioning my brother's orders?"

"N-no. Of course not. Akito-sama requested that we should go over the plan once more before we execute it just in case we overlooked something that might cause flaw."

With that the two took off toward the opposite direction. Ran sighed in relief once they were out of sight. What was he going to do? He needed to get Yuri and Sanosuke fast.

Deciding that it was safer to run by foot, Ran arrived at the orphanage first. He snuck in and ran silently to the room that he and Yuri shared. Once he reached their room, he shut the door and shook his friend awake. Ran hurriedly covered his friend's mouth with his hand and tilted his head in the direction of the door. Yuri nodded and hurriedly dressed then followed his friend out.

Once they were out, Ran put a finger to his mouth signaling his friend to be quiet, and then taking off toward Sanosuke's house. They stopped at the side of his place in front of his bedroom window and knocked on it. At first there was no response, but after knocking repeatedly, a very grumpy and moody Sanosuke opened his window.

He opened his mouth to say something, when Ran silenced him with a small motion and jabbed his finger in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. Sanosuke didn't know what was going on but nodded in understanding and quickly dressed before jumping out his window.

As they raced to the compound, Ran told them everything he heard and what the Cloud ninja were planning by kidnapping the Hyuga heiress.

Yuri turned to them. "But what can we do? We can't defeat a real ninja!"

"Well, we can't just ideally sit by and watch them take her, can we?" Sanosuke retorted.

"Ran nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. It's better than not doing anything,"

"What about telling someone…anyone."

"There's no time, Yuri. Are you in or not?"

Yuri took a deep breath and looked at both of them. "I'm in."

Sanosuke nodded. "I'm in, too."

"Okay, then. Let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Now, if one were to look at the Hokage Tower at that moment they would see just one light on at the very top, which happened to be the Hokage's office. This was odd in itself because no one was supposed to be in the building, but the ever faithful Hokage was devoted to his paperwork….yes, that's right…his paperwork.

Well, it was actually the battle of wills in which the Yondaime, like every hokage before him had lost and horribly, at that. They were just no match when it came to paperwork.

Arashi sighed warily, running his hand through his hair tiredly. It was times like these that he wondered why he had even become Hokage. He should have taken the old man's offer to some time off his post after…that day.

Shaking his head, he decided to retire for the night and put everything back, knowing that it would be waiting for him in the morning. That is, if it doesn't grow, which had somehow happened before, much to his horror.

The village of the Cloud had arrived today and the paperwork was heavy, but he would survive. The treaty has yet to be signed, but something in all this seemed a little fishy. The village of the Cloud was known to obsess over the Hyuuga bloodline and there was no telling what their true intentions were. After much debating with the council, they decided to proceed with the treaty even though it meant possibly putting the Hyuuga clan in danger.

"The old farts don't even know half the things that are happening in the village. What would we do it the treaty were false?"

Arashi snorted at that thought. 'Everyone would be after their blood, of course. If something were to happen, then the Hyuuga would revolt which would cause the villagers to follow, being as they are one of the noblest clans in all of Konoha and had high influence.'

He turned off the light, about to step out when something caught his eye. He could see three small figures hopping from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of the Eastern gate.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The three boys ran as fast as they could to the compound. Maybe they could warn the Hyuuga head or any Hyuuga for that matter, which would cause a huge flaw in the Cloud nin's plans.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Three kids trying to play ninja?"

The three turned around and came face to face with the same Cloud ninja Ran recognized as the leader's brother.

Uh-oh.

This could be a problem.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Preview for Chapter 5:**

"_**Listen kit, that jutsu that was used is spreading throughout your body fast, hence why you're here."**_

"_You can't heal me then?"_

"_**Always so negative, aren't you?"**_

"_Well, what do you expect when you speak to me like that?" Ran retorted, defending his pessimistic view._

"_**Of course I can. Do you expect anything less from me?"**__ Amusement laced his voice, __**"I can heal you, but it will come at a price."**__ Kyuubi's voice dropped at the end._

"A price?" Nodding once, the nine-tailed fox swung its tails edgily.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finally!! That took like forever to write, but it was worth it, I suppose. Hahaha….Don't forget to review guys!!! I definitely encourage it!! If you guys have any ideas then don't be afraid to give a shout out, okay? Review!!

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	6. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Sorry for the later update but I've been working on another story!! I hope you guys will check it out, okay? I'm not sure if I want to continue it though so it's mostly up to you guys!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Orphaned Legacy**

Chapter 5

'Why is life so complicated? Why?!' Ran thought. 'Kami-sama must hate me so much! I'm officially cursed with bad karma for life.' He quickly made a decision and directed his voice to Sanosuke and Yuri without turning to them.

"Sano, Yuri, go alert the Hyuuga clan." Ran ordered, keeping his eyes on the Cloud ninja. "A few ninja wouldn't be too bad either." He stated jokingly, but that seemed to only cause the air to become even tenser then before.

"But Ran-" Yuri began, but Sanosuke interrupted. "We won't leave you here by yourself, Ran." He gazed at him seriously.

Ran smirked, "Well, you're gonna have to, so you better move it." His eyes grew hard and his smirk turned into a small frown.

"But-"

"NOW!" Ran yelled, finally turning to them, eyes serious and burning in determination.

They hesitated and gave a nod before leaving in the opposite direction. The Cloud nin saw this and made a move to go after them but Ran blocked his path. Growling at him, Ran fell into a defensive stance. "I am your opponent."

The other man actually had the audacity to laugh then sneered at him in an arrogant voice. "Then you won't live to see tomorrow."

"We'll see about that." He hissed back, but his thoughts were completely different. 'Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! What the hell am I going to do? I need to buy time.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Have you found anyone yet?" A whiny voice beside him asked.

"No." Sanosuke said curtly.

"Are you sure?"

"Does it look like I found anyone yet?" Sanosuke replied moodily.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, I was just asking."

He sighed tiredly, "I'm sorry, Yuri. It's just with everything's that been happening…" He trailed off.

Yuri sent him a small smile. "I know. I was there, you know."

Sanosuke's lip curled up slightly. "I know." He replied coolly and turned his attention to what was ahead.

"Yeah, sure, try to keep yourself looking cool and all that crap." Yuri grumbled out in mock exasperation.

Sanosuke turned to him with a ghost of a smirk on his face. "You know it." This earned him an earful of why he was not cool and will never ever be able to match the brilliance of his brunette friend.

Finally after who knows how long, he folded and gave in. "Fine! I'm not hip or cool or whatever! Could you just please stop talking already?!" Yuri just smirked right back at him. "I knew you'd fold." He stated in a matter a fact tone, causing Sanosuke to roll his eyes. "All I need now is those exact words written on paper."

"Shut up. Just shut up." Came the reply.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'll give you one more chance to give up, brat."

Ran frowned lightly. "Well, then you're just wasting your time."

The Cloud nin sneered at him before pulling out a few kunai from his weapons pouch. "I think I'm going to have fun playing with you for a while."

Ran shivered slightly at those words. 'So this is it. It's either all or nothing. There's no backing out now." His eyes glowed with determination as he watched the other man charge at him.

This was it…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey! We're almost there!"

"Quiet idiot, do you want to wake everyone up?" Sanosuke growled out.

Yuri gave him a look. "Isn't that the point?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"No! What do you think will happen if the villagers found out what's going on?"

"Uhh…" Yuri stared at him with a blank look planted on his face. Sanosuke smacked him on the head, ignoring the usual protests and insults thrown his way. "It means that they'll panic, and who knows what will happen then. Innocent people could be killed and a war might even break out if this isn't kept in control and under wraps, got it?"

Comprehension started to work its way onto the boy's face and he gave a solemn nod. He pushed himself to go faster. "Let's hurry, then, Ran needs us right now." The raven haired boy nodded and hurried to catch up.

"There are most likely guards posted in the front." Sanosuke stated. Yuri just gazed ahead. "Then, let's do it."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ran stumbled out of the way as the nin charged him, barely dodging his kunai and shuriken. His eyes may have been sharp enough to see them, but his small body was too slow to keep up. He has had hardly any experience when it came to the ninja arts, except for what Sano has told him. He dodged a kunai thrown at him and efficiently cut his shirt sleeve. Ran didn't notice the explosive tag on the handle and when he did he barely just got out before he sported some serious injures.

Rolling away, Ran had burns of every degree all over his body and a few cuts here and there. A gash was left above his left brow and blood trickle down the side of his face.

Ran knew the man was just playing with him. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer if he kept this up. The Cloud ninja once again charged at him but this time without any weapons in hand.

He threw a punch toward the Ran's face, in which he used the least amount of movement possible before grabbing the arm as it past his face and pulling the man forward. Ran spun around, switching hands to hold down the arm and sent a roundhouse kick right into the side of the man's face, causing him to stumble backwards.

Ran panted harshly, wiping the blood that dripped from his arm. He was already tired. How was he going to keep on with this guy? 'That explosive tag really did a number on me.' Ran thought, letting out a small laugh.

The Cloud nin just sneered at him. "You think this is funny? I'll give you something to laugh about!" He charged once again, but his time too fast for Ran to react. He kneed him in the stomach, and then backhanded him across the face, sending the boy skidding to the other side of the roof.

Coughing out blood, Ran lifted himself up to his knees, but the Cloud nin was already there. He grabbed his raven locks and yanked him up to his feet before sending another kick into his stomach and smiled when he heard two successful cracks.

'Two broken ribs…' Ran mentally counted. He was thrown across the ground, screaming as the man stepped on his left wrist earning another crack. 'One broken wrist…'

Ran staggered as he pushed himself up, turning his head a bit and lowering his mask to spit the blood out of his mouth before slipping it back on. He cradled his wrist gingerly and held it against his chest. The Cloud nin smiled maliciously, charging in once again. Ran clumsily dodged the attack and threw in a punch with his good arm in a weak attempt protect himself, but it was useless as he deflected it while the man grabbed his injured left arm and kneeing it in the forearm and using his other arm to twist the upper part.

Ran bit his tongue, holding back from screaming bloody murder, letting out a few heart wrenching whimpers as two more cracks were heard. He couldn't take it anymore and just wanted to scream his heart out, but he wouldn't give this man that satisfaction. No, his dignity wouldn't allow this lowlife that pleasure. More amounts of blood started to seep through his mask and travel down his shirt. No doubt that the more experienced of the two had done that to his already injured arm on purpose. His left arm suffered from two broken bones and a broken wrist already. Ran was definitely surprised that he was still moving no doubt alive at this point.

The ninja across from him began to slowly walk towards him laughing, "I'm impressed, kid. You've lasted much longer than I anticipated, but it's over."

Numerous cuts and bruises littered Ran's body, both old and new. His body wasn't fully healed as of yet and his previous wounds were starting to reopen, practically drenching him in blood from head to toe. It almost made him look like an angel of death in the moonlight.

His vision began to flicker between reality and unconsciousness. The sweet, sweet darkness that called to him for rest an-

'No, no, no! I have to remain awake because if I fall now, I probably won't be coming back and all this will be for nothing. I have to hold on for a little longer…'

Once again cradling his arm, Ran got up unsteadily, swaying a bit before finding some balance and making sure that he wasn't going to fall off the roof and plummet to his death in such a humiliating way. "J-ju-ust…a…l-little…bit…l-lo-onger…" He whispered out hoarsely.

"Ran!" Ran glanced to the side and saw both Sanosuke and Yuri staring at him in horror upon seeing all the blood coated over his body, which was easy to figure out was his own.

"What are you doing?! Run!" He yelled but they were frozen in fear as they looked at his broken and battered body. They were so paralyzed that they didn't notice the Cloud ninja forming a series of seals that were too fast to see and charging right at Yuri and Sanosuke. There was no way that Ran could reach them in time.

"YURI!! SANO!!!" Ran didn't even think before he ran as fast as his body would take him.

They could do nothing but watch fearfully as the man approached him, almost like watching as death came for you. Their eyes widened and stayed glued on the Cloud nin petrified as they watched as their best friend jumped in front of them and be stabbed in the stomach with some unknown attack, his blood spewing over the man's clothes and face, stained with Ran's blood.

"RAN!!!!" That was the last thing Ran heard, he couldn't even tell who was calling for him before he fell into the darkness for the once again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"**Kit, wake up, kit."**

"Huh?" The raven haired boy groggily opened his eyes as the demon coaxed him awake.

"**Foolish brat, what have you gotten us into?" **The fox sighed in a manner that didn't seem all that surprised, almost like he was expecting it or something.

Ran looked up warily and gave the fox a look that clearly said 'don't ask me, you stupid fox' and stuck out his tongue for emphasis when the demon returned a look that stated 'this is completely your fault and you're an idiot.'

The demon laughed uproariously than suddenly turned serious, which in turn had Ran alarmed**. "Listen kit, that jutsu that was used is spreading throughout your body fast, hence why you're here."**

"You can't heal me then?" Ran asked sadly.

"**Always so negative, aren't you?"**

"Well, what do you expect when you speak to me like that?" Ran retorted, defending himself for his pessimistic view.

The fox almost looked insulted as he responded,** "Of course I can. Do you expect anything less from me?"** Amusement laced his voice, **"I can heal you, but it will come at a price."** Kyuubi's voice dropped at the end.

"A price?" Nodding once, the nine-tailed fox swung its tails edgily.

"**Your body is deteriorating at a fast rate. I can heal you, but it will come at the price I spoke of. I can heal the damage, but it takes significantly longer than any physical outer wound because you are literally dying from the inside out."**

"What is the price, then?" Ran spoke in an uneasily solemn voice.

"**One of your senses."** Seeing the boy's questioning gaze, the demon elaborated. **"Healing you will take time, time that we do not have, so in exchange I will have to take one of your senses for the time being."** Ran nodded in understanding and closed his eyes in thought.

"**Remember, kit, it can't be something insignificant such as your taste or scent; it has to be an even trade."**

Ran opened his eyes with a determined glint and spoke in a soft, firm voice. "How about my…" He hesitated until he finally made his decision and gave a determined nod.

"How about my voice, then." Ran tried to keep the hope he had from leaking through his voice but it was present in his eyes.

"**Your voice,"** The demon contemplated. **"I suppose that would be good enough."** The fox swished its tails in thought.

"**You're sure that is what you want because you may never be able to obtain it back."**

"What?"

"**Your body cannot handle too much of my chakra, so I can only release a limited amount to heal you."** Kyuubi looked down to see if Ran was comprehending that was being said.

"What would happen if took more chakra than I can handle?"

"**You'd die."** Came the blunt reply as Ran paled. "O-okay, then. I guess that's out of the question."

"**My chakra can heal you, but not fast enough due to your limit, so I have to 'shut down' one of your senses in return."**

"Then what do you mean when you said I may never obtain it back?" Ran questioned, clearly not understanding.

The demon sighed and quickly answered. **"Your voice will return when your body is ready, but the choice is ultimately yours. It's pretty much a fifty-fifty chance, though, so I can't guarantee anything." **Ran took a deep breath, trying to sort his mixed feelings and closing his eyes in thought.

"**Hurry, brat, time isn't something that we have at the moment."** Ran nodded in return and looked up in determination. "Okay, let's do it." He spoke firmly.

"**Are you ready, kit?" **The boy sent him a sad smile. **"It's going to hurt like hell."** The next thing he knew, he was on his hands and knees, screaming his throat raw.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ran shot up screaming, only vaguely or not even registering that no sound was coming out. It felt like someone was tearing at his throat from the inside out and set it on fire. He started to thrash wildly until his arm made contact with something, accidentally tipping a vase of flowers over and shattering it on impact with the floor.

The door opened, a medic peeked in and quickly called down the hall for backup. Many medics filed in and tried everything they could to calm him without taking drastic measures but to no avail. Ran thrashed wildly, clawing at his throat and arms, effectively drawing blood.

"Hold him down!"

A few medics rushed to the boy's side and struggled to keep him in place as the others gathered their equipment. They finally had to give him a shot, watching as he curled into the sheets flinching and trembling in pain and whimpering silently every once in a while.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arashi sat down on a seat right outside the operating room with his elbows on his knees and his head resting in his hands. Yuri and Sanosuke were sleeping in the seats next to him, refusing to leave their friend and Arashi had to admit that he admired their dedicated bond and loyalty. It had been hours since Ran was brought in and Tsunade was working on the boy.

'God, why is everything happening today? From what I heard, that boy was about to leave the hospital when I met him and then immediately sent back after…' He shook his head to avoid that part. 'He shouldn't have been able to move, how is it that-' Arashi's train of thought was interrupted when he saw Tsunade walking through the door. His face whitened as his gaze fell upon the blood that she was wiping off her hands and unto her heavily bloodied cloak.

"Tsunade, how is-" He was stopped when she brought her hand up in an unspoken gesture to silence him. She drew her arm down and stood there for a while and then gave out a wary sigh. "He's stable…for now, at least."

He breathed out in relief. "So…he'll be okay?"

"I can't say. It's not up to me anymore."

"What do you mean by that?" His eyes narrowed slightly. She sighed once again. "Like I said, it's not up to me anymore, it's up to him."

"So, what are the chances?"

"Honestly, Arashi? The boy has a very slim chance of surviving the night and when I say slim, I mean slim." She stated.

His breath caught in his throat, "How slim?"

She stared up at him with a blank look. "Do you truly want to know?" Arashi gaze fell upon her tired and haggard face, looking right into her eyes without saying anything and then turned away. "No."

Her saddened brown eyes stared at his back as he walked down the hall. 'It's less than 20 percent, maybe even lower, but I was willing to lie for your sake.' She thought while turning back to the room. 'But you probably already knew that.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arashi stood outside the door, staring at the door that stood before him reading the numbers 203. How long has he been standing there that even most of the medics have already left? Taking in a deep breath, he opened it slowly as to not make too noise. He closed the door and gave a small sigh. 'What is this feeling? It's like I know this child, yet I don't know him at all.'

He walked a bit closer, but kept a good length away, watching silently as Ran flinched and moved restlessly in his bed. 'I've never felt so much fury toward any one person before. I was an instant away from killing that man mercilessly. Good thing that Kakashi stopped me in time or something catastrophic could have happened.' He closed his eyes as the images of the events flashed through his mind.

Arashi took a shuddered breath and opened his eyes only to meet eyes identical to his own. His eyes widened slightly, but other than that there was no indication that he was caught off guard.

Ran was extremely pale and looked weak and exhausted. His half-lidded eyes stayed connected with his and slowly the boy's arm lifted slightly, reaching out to him. Arashi looked from the arm to Ran's face and back again, clearly seeing the fear and panic planted in the boy's eyes.

Ran was scared, he realized. He obviously didn't trust easily, depending only on himself and his friends to survive. The boy had never put so much trust toward an adult before for fear of rejection. Ran grew up too fast and learned his lessons too soon, which children his age weren't supposed to learn any time soon.

Arashi wasn't quite sure what to do. 'Does he need something? Does he have to go to the bathroom? Does he want to get up? What do I do?!' He inwardly panicked.

Arashi hesitantly stepped forward and took Ran's hand in his in a gentle, but firm supportive grip just in case he needed something. Ran seemed content to just hand his hand for a while. He would have to take time with this one.

For the time being, the boy's guard is down, but it will eventually come back. For now, though, it was surprising how he just gave out his trust and for that Arashi was grateful. He was asking for too much if he expected this child to throw himself out there with arms wide open. The world would overwhelm him.

'It would be like throwing him into the ocean, and knowing that he doesn't know how to swim…he will either survive and learn or seek vengeance…or perish…well, actually it was more like sink or swim…or was it float…well either one is close enough, I suppose.'

Arashi broke out of his thoughts with a very confused face, but he wasn't nearly as confused as he was on the inside. "I think it's a bad sign when I begin to not understand my own thoughts…and talking to myself…like I am now…" He added thoughtfully, tapping his chin lightly. "Well…they do say that the first sign of insanity is talking to yourself, but I can't seem to recall the other signs…Argh! There I go again! And again! Argh!" He smacked himself both mentally and physically with his free hand.

So, Arashi pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat there, watching the raven haired boy sleep peacefully. Smiling as he gazed at the boy, traveling to their intertwined hands. His eyes softened, his face changing into a fond look as he stared fascinated at the boy's smaller hands wrapped and gripped around his own. This child…

'There's just something about him…'

Laying back into his chair, the blond closed his eyes as he prepared for a slightly uncomfortable night's sleep.

'I'll just have to teach him how to swim, then.' Arashi smiled as he thought without much sense before drifting into his own world filled with old memories and past dreams.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hmm…I'm not really sure how I should expose Ran to Yondaime. AHH!! I need to think about how I should do it. I might wait until he is twelve or something but I'm not exactly sure. I'm kinda stumped right now on how to approach what has happened in the story!

If anyone has any ideas or suggestion then I'm always open. I know that I mention this all the time but yeah…hahahha….Review!!! Don't forget to check out my new story!! It's called Illusory Reality.

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Wow…I haven't updated in soo long that I can't even believe it! I'm sincerely sorry for very long delay and have made this chapter especially longer because you guyz deserve it! D I actually finished this chapter long ago but kept forgetting to tweak it here and there, so I hope you enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Orphaned Legacy**

Chapter 6

"Yondaime-sama, may I speak with you for a moment?" Arashi's ears perked when he heard a voice that spoke behind him. He turned around to see a fairly plump middle-aged woman who had shoulder length brown hair and eyes, smiling kindly up at him. The blond took in her motherly smile and medic uniform before answering.

"Of course…" He trailed off.

"Akane." She replied. "Yuzu Akane."

"Yuzu-san." He confirmed as she led him further down the hall to the opposite side of the building from Ran's room. They entered a huge lab of some sort, in which Arashi guessed was mostly used for testing and researching.

"So, what is it that you need to speak with me, Yuzu-san?" Arashi asked curiously.

"Please, call me Akane." She smiled kindly.

"Then you can call me Arashi." He replied with a grin of his own. "The formalities make me feel too old." Arashi stated hastily when he saw that she was about to object, but once he said that, she promptly closed it shut and sent him a beaming smile. Akane then walked to a desk that was located on the other side of the room.

"Now," He turned back to the medic to see her shuffling through all the papers and files that were supposed to be organized neatly in the desk across from them rather than pile on top of it. "I was addressed to bring this to your attention by Tsunade-sama not only because you are the hokage and a witness, but also because something happened that none of us foresaw, or even thought was virtually possible."

That definitely caught his attention, but he just chose to listen and nodded to show that was following so far, even though she couldn't she it with her head buried in the piles of paperwork.

'I feel really sorry for the person who has to file all those papers away. It would take hours, actually probably more like days or weeks.' He shuddered.

She was still looking through a few files and mumbling to herself. "Where did I place his file?" She agitatedly stated out loud before letting out a squeal of glee, "Ah! Here it is." She pulled a particular file out from under all the other files and papers that adorned the desk in piles and mounts.

The woman walked around the desk, bringing the file with her as she came to a stop beside himself. As Akane opened the file and flipped through the pages, she began to explain the problem a bit to him.

"Kyoutaka Ran is an extremely lucky boy. According to all his hospitalizations and recent injuries as of late, he shouldn't even be alive, but in this case, he is an exceptionally fast healer, almost abnormally so."

Akane stopped at a certain page that held what looked like test results and many notes and observations written on the sides, and then gazed up at him.

Arashi nodded in agreement, "Yes, I have noticed that as well."

He recalled how he first met him. How the boy stood before him proudly and if it weren't for the fact that he started hacking up blood, he would have looked for the most part normal. Arashi also remembered wondering that same thing when he spotted the raven haired boy jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and on top of that risking his life fighting a shinobi of the Hidden Cloud who was the brother of their kage, no less.

"So," He broke off from his thoughts. "What's the problem?"

Akane furrowed her brow a bit in thought. "Well," she began "in the scans that we produced, the most attention was drawn to his throat." Arashi just looked at her in with a big question mark slapped unto his face. He wasn't aware that anything injuries were produced there.

She sighed. "It's quite difficult to explain."

"Just try, then." The Yondaime replied.

"When the boy first woke up, we noticed that he was in absolute silent hysteria and not only that, but was clawing at his throat, as well. Something like this happening isn't that unusual, as many patients wake in hysteria, pain, and confusion, and this is why the silence completely threw us off. He looked to be screaming but not a sound was made. After that incident, we did advanced scanning on his throat and found that his larynx was completely missing, as if he never even had one in the first place, which is extremely strange in itself."

"Larynx?"

"His voicebox and to an extent his vocal cords as well."

"What's so strange about that?" Arashi knew this was an odd question, being as the boy had a voice, but he had to know the specifics and Akane understood that as well.

"The fact that they are completely gone is what is strange. They can be found scarred and damaged, but in his case, it was like he was born like this, a mute." Arashi's eyes widened in realization and nodded in agreement. This was just another thing to add to the list of unusual things about Kyoutaka Ran.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Damn, not the hospital again.' Ran inwardly groaned. 'I should get a sign that tells people not to get near or I might actually render them inoperative, put out of action, the big K.O.'

'Come on, Ran. Open your eyes. Come on! Wakey, wakey! Man, I wish I was really awake so that I can slap myself!' He thought while he crawled to the corner of his mind to spend a good part of his time sulking.

Indeed, Ran wasn't truly awake, having fallen into a coma. He may have been vaguely aware but his mind wasn't ready for the reality that waited for him. Ran's body was stable enough for now but all that didn't matter if his mind refused to wake and leave him comatose for who knows how long, and he obviously wasn't okay with that.

"Okay, what is that people do when they want to wake up or something?" Ran was happy to find that he was able to speak out loud in his mind even if he knew he couldn't do it outside of this landscape, but it would be able to keep him grounded and sane enough, or at least for now, he figured.

He thought for a moment. "I think it had something to do with walking towards the light…but that also happens when people die…sooo maybe not." He scratched the back of his head uneasily.

"**Are you out of your mind?!" **The nine-tailed demon growled testily.

"Kyuu?" Ran blinked in confusion as his surroundings slowly changed into a familiar setting, finding himself in the presence of one very pissed off and agitated demon fox who was currently pacing in front of him impatiently.

"Uhh…no, I don't think so." He replied, tapping his forefinger on his chin lightly as if he was actually thinking hard about it. "I like to think of myself as fairly sane, or just extremely creative in a very-close-to-being-insane type of way. Does that make any sense?" The raven haired boy tilted his head to the side. "Ooh, ooh, ooh! No, I'm just overly active in the imagination department, or just another insane person living in an insane world, which technically makes me sane because if everyone is insane, the—"

"**QUIET!!!! KEEP THAT FLAP OF YOURS SHUT OR I WILL RENDER YOUR INABILITY TO SPEAK TO BE APPLIED IN THIS REALM AS WELL!!!" **The fox roared for behind its cage, leaking massive amounts of killing intent that left Ran panting on his hands and knees, completely still and paralyzed with fear.

The fox sighed warily and kind of looked like he was rubbing his temple if that was possible for him. **"Unfortunately, it does make sense to those that share your pea-sized brain." **Ran made sure hold his tongue from making a jab at the implication that Kyuubi had apparently understood it all. Although Ran picked up the tiniest bit of remorse—and by tiny, it was microscopic—that Ran had only caught because the fox let him, he wasn't willing to take that chance just yet.

Kyuubi quickly realized his mistake and snapped out of his thought process, waving away Ran's attempt to change the subject. **"You fool!"**

Ran sighed in disappointment, but was relieved to find that the demon wasn't out for his head anymore. "Man, I was so close." He whispered to himself.

The demon in front of him began to pace once again and the boy decided to sit down and prepare for a very long lecture, which was probably made up of insults and how much he was inferior to the being that stood before him.

"**How you can do something so foolish is beyond my mind's eye."**

"What would you have done if you held information that can change the lives of many and endanger innocent people?" Ran retorted angrily. "There is always a reason for what I do and if it wasn't for your existence in me, you wouldn't even care!"

Silence met his statement until the demon began chuckling lightly in response, which caused Ran's anger to heighten as he growled low with his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"**You may be young, kit, and it pains me to say this, but you are smart as well—smarter than most your age, but with your age comes naivety-" **

"Naiive? Me? I've never been ignorant and I don't plan on starting now."

"**That's just it! You are ignorant," **Ran opened his mouth in protest but the fox cut him off. **"You may not be as ignorant as most, but you still are. It does nothing to be fully aware of everything around you but drive you mad. Ignorance is bliss."**

Ran crossed his arms and pouted from his spot on the floor. "To be ignorant puts one at a disadvantage and means that those who aren't have the advantage, and the control."

"**Do you know the true extent of your injuries? Without me you would have died the moment that attack made contact! I've had to constantly leak my chakra into your body to simply keep you alive and even more to actually heal your injuries!" **Ran bowed his head in shame, finding the ground oddly fascinating.

Kyuubi just sighed. **"I have taken it upon myself to heal your wounds enough to not cause too much suspicion, as well as all your past scars, especially those whiskers."**

Ran looked up in amazement and disbelief. "Why? Why did you do that? Why do you help me so much?"

"**You are quick to anger when you lose control and begin to panic, but you must realize that not everyone is against you. I am with you, as I will always be whether both of us like it or not; I am with you, kit."**

"Thank you, Kyuu," Ran gazed at him, his eyes shining a bit, but hardened in thought, "But I never had control." Ran spat out bitterly, making sure to keep his head down and gaze locked on to the forest floor. "I thought I did, but was too weak."

"**Which do you speak of? Is it the control of the situation or the control of your emotions?" **Kyuubi asked skeptically.

"Why does it matter?"

"**It is not wise to always seek control of everything. If you continue on like this, you will end up like one of those mortals who use people as their pawns. They will merely be the stones underneath your fingertips in a game of shogi while you are the player."**

Ran chose not to speak because honestly, he didn't have anything to say. He could see what the fox said could actually happen and he shuddered at the thought. "What am I supposed to do then, Kyuu? My life has never been smooth. I have nothing of my own; not even my life is my own! I wanted to be in control of my life, and when I figured that wouldn't happen. I took control of the only things that I possessed that nobody could take. My emotions are my own."

"**They are, but what difference does it make if no one can see them? I have already seen you trying to close yourself off and your new disability only accelerates it. Your mask is forming and you need to break it now before you lose yourself."**

"You know that wasn't my intention! I-I just want to have as much control of my life as I can, even if it's just the smallest bit!" He cried out.

The nine-tailed fox lifted his head in agreement. **"I know."**

Ran's patience had definitely been wearing thin and had the urge to scream his throat raw, but he held it back. **"Do you see what I mean? You hold back your emotions and never let anyone see them." **The boy just gave him a look and the fox sighed in reply. **"I'm not telling you to wear your emotions on your sleeve, but you are afraid of opening up and letting out all your emotions that have been bottled up inside you for so long."**

He folded his arms across his chest defiantly, "I'm not afraid." He pouted childishly, which caused the other occupant to roll his eyes. **"Is that the only thing you got out of this? That wasn't the point and you know it, but maybe I'm just giving a mere human, like yourself too much credit to think you were able to have an attention span more than that of a monkey."**

Ran sighed and bowed his head in shame. "I know, but I hate being seen as weak and even if I know that I'm wrong, I just can't face it."

"**I may be a demon, but even I know the eventual outcome that will appear. All of the qualities you possess are admirable, but the way you are currently going about your life will lead to disastrous results. Do you understand?"**

Ran's head was bowed, responding back softly. "Yes, I had known that my path was dangerous. I thought I could avoid it, but I guess can't. You know that I can't change automatically. It will take time."

"**We will take it one step at a time. I didn't expect for you to change overnight, but the smallest changes can make the biggest difference."**

Ran smiled a bit up at the demon. "It really amazes me on how human you seem like, Kyuu. You know so much of our emotions, thoughts, sins and faults that you truly do make us look like the dirt beneath you."

"**You will learn in time that those irrelevant things that you think of as weak are only because you view them as such. Look and embrace them as a strength, and you will come to find that they are the things that make life worth living while in this vile world of yours."**

Ran rolled his eyes at the demon. "Must you always insult my world and me every time you say something? Especially when you do that thing, you know, where you somehow manage to give me a compliment, and an insult at the same time." He stated in annoyingly.

Kyuubi just gave him a look and the raven haired boy sighed once again, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "Don't even bother answering that. I'll just do it for you. 'Of course, I will not be lowered to the standard of that of a mere mortal of a monkey…blah, blah, blah…' Is that okay for ya?"

The demon fox turned his head away and stuck his nose up into the air, then 'hmphed'. This caused Ran to chuckle lightly at him in that snobbish position.

"Don't mock me, brat." Ran and Kyuubi said this simultaneously, staring at each other. One is surprise and the other in amusement; eventually Ran couldn't take it any more and broke down in a fit laughter.

Kyuubi just growled at the mockery, but amusement clearly shown in his eyes. **"Brat."**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ran groaned as the light assaulted his eyes and the numbness of his body began to fade, bringing forth the pain.

'Damn. That's the third time in the hospital in the amount of one day. That must be some kind of record or something. I wonder how long I have been out.' Ran thought as the grogginess of sleep began to wear off.

He glanced around the room for anything that might give him some kind of clue, but there was none. No calendar or anything.

'You'd think that they would have something like that in a hospital.'

Glancing across the room, he spotted a clock on the wall. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was the middle of the day. Ran struggled to sit up, eventually giving up after multiple times of trying and failing. He was aching in every part of his body and the almost familiar pounding of his wounds was disturbing. Ran found that his left arm was wrapped in a cast and set against his chest in a sling while his other injuries were healing nicely on their own with the exception of the tight bandages that were wrapped around his chest and abdomen. He checked out all his wounds and wasn't surprised to see that he was dressed in a hospital gown.

He brought his right hand up to his face, gingerly feeling it and glancing at the bed stand for his mask that was innocently laid down at his side. He carefully slipped it on before deciding to entertain himself by counting the tiles on the ceiling and then the cracks that were on them and then back once again.

Ran then remembered his talk with the fox and rolled to his side gingerly, using his good arm to push himself up. He grunted in pain, but ignored the best he could. Placing his feet lightly on the cold tile floor, Ran leant most of his weigh unto the side of the bed and steadying himself with the chair that lay beside the bed, and walking leisurely to the bathroom, finding things on the way to help him stay upright.

On his way, Ran once again brought his hand up, fingers tracing the line of the mask and finally pulling it down and letting the cold air touch his face.

He curled his fingers around the knob and hesitantly pushed it open. Keeping his eyes firmly set on the ground, he walked in and turned to the mirror, but dared not look up. He stood before the wide mirror in contemplation, building his resolve and lifting his head.

It was nothing special, nothing special at all really and the boy looking back at him was the same as he always was, except it seemed that he was almost looking at someone completely new at the same time, as well. Nothing changed except for those cursed marks that once adorned his face and his body.

He should have hated it because he knew that Kimura would be delighted to fix that problem and place those scars back in their rightful places where they were before, but he couldn't hate something like that…for long. Just like the physical scars, Ran wanted more than anything that the mental scars would also fade along with them but he knew that having hope in that was useless. Hope just brought about pain, something that he didn't really need. There was nothing different on the inside. He was still the same broken boy, but he somehow felt different. Perhaps, like the physical wounds, he would heal with time. They were conflicting thoughts, though. He at some point didn't want those scars, physical and mental, to heal because they made him who he was. They were his reminders and without them he just wouldn't be him, and there was also the fact that without those said events Ran would have never met Yuri and Sanosuke.

Ran didn't keep his mind on such thoughts though, turning away from the mirror and walking out. He paused as he passing his room door and turned his head towards his bed to see his clothes at the foot of it, folded and clean.

Quickly making a decision, he walked across the room and dressed into his clothes before sneaking out. He had contemplated going through the window, but once he actually looked out and found that he was on the sixth floor, he quickly changed his mind. It's not he could have done it anyway, though, because he was already having trouble staying on his two feet.

Ran touched the mask that hung loosely around his neck, 'Maybe I should keep it off…just this once. I don't think that anybody in the hospital will recognize me right away with it off…I hope.' He thought.

Ran nodded and slowly opened the door, poking his head out first and glancing at both sides of the hallway before walking out upon seeing nobody, and closed the door behind him.

'I guess I'm lucky. Nobody seems to be in right now.' Ran let out a breath of relief.

"Hey sweetie, are you lost?" Ran immediately froze and stiffened when a hand landed on his shoulder from behind. Turning around, Ran came face to face with a woman medic. He opened his mouth to speak, but remembered that he couldn't speak, and bowing his head from embarrassment. The woman skeptically took in the boy's bandages, evaluating his wounds.

"Are you staying at this hospital?" She asked carefully.

The raven haired boy stared up at her for a moment and shook is head from side to side furiously, in which she took as a positive 'no,' but she still had her suspicions. "Have you just been released, then?"

Ran, seeing that the medic wouldn't take his answer so easily shook his head up and down this time as a sign of 'yes,' and was relieved when she suddenly gave him a shining smile.

The woman looked to be in about her mid thirties and pretty average with a kind smile set upon her face. From what Ran gathered, she obviously must have mistook his gesture as one of shyness, and kept asking where he was going, but all Ran could do was shake his head as a negative every time she named a different part of the building. She held a baffled look on her face until they reached the end of the hallway and she saw the little raven haired boy point excitedly at something that was past her.

Turning, she saw that it was the exit and realized that he wanted to get out of the hospital the while time. She felt her face heat up a bit in embarrassment. 'So that's what he wanted. He wasn't looking to stay in, but rather to get out instead.' She thought.

Smiling at the boy, she lightly patted his head not noticing that he tensed up a bit. Ran ducked his head and it was once again mistaken as an act of shyness that made the young woman nearly squeal at his cuteness.

Ran looked up at her meekly before giving the woman a shy smile and running off towards the door and out of the hospital.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ran didn't know where to go. He just began running in a random and now he was just completely confused as to where he wanted to go.

'At least I got away from that lady. Geez, I swear she was ready to pounce on me at any minute.' He shuddered at the thought. 'She was nice, though, so I guess it wasn't too bad.'

While walking, Ran noticed that he was walked toward the center of the village. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to just go in any random direction, except the poor side of the village where someone actually might recognize him, and he definitely didn't want that to happen.

So, as he walked down the market area, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. 'Is it just me or does it feel like someone's watching me?' He shivered, and then gazed around to the adults looking at him with curiosity and pointing and whispering about him.

He quickly avoided eye contact and quickened his pace to get out of their. 'Damn, I knew that I shouldn't have left my mask at the hospital! What was I thinking?!' He mentally berated himself.

He then found himself at the park, seeing kids running around and playing games. 'I think that I'll just sit around for a while and then just go back to the hospital and pray that no one has noticed that I'm not there anymore.'

Ran found a large secluded tree on the edge near the middle of the park that was like the border between where the park ended and the forest began. He let his eyes wander, watching the people that walked past and the children that were running playing around. Then, he saw something shining like glinted metal in the corner of his eye. 'Hmm? What's that?' Ran walked toward the object and pushed the bushes aside, spotting what he was looking for. It was a kunai, but it was no ordinary one. Ran could clearly see that someone had spent a lot of money on it. The kunai was midnight black and Ran could tell that it was made of a special type of metal and about regular size, but a bit longer in length, making the tip look much more dangerous. It had multiple designs on the hilt carved beautifully into it, and when Ran flipped it over he was graced with the symbol of a fan.

Something clicked in his mind. 'The Uchihas, huh?' His suspicions were then confirmed when he tilted the blade into the sun and an inscription was revealed. It read 'Uchiha Sasuke.'

Ran just sighed, telling himself that he'll return it later and stuffing it into his pocket, making sure to be careful about it. He walked back to his respected place and sat with his back to the trunk of the tree, once again watching as people pasted by. He quickly grew tired of simply watching and closed his eyes from the world, listening to the sounds of nature around him.

'I should do this more often, it's so relaxing.' Ran slouched a bit more into the tree. He didn't really think about much, but just opened his mind and let it flow freely. It was surprising blank of all the issues and problems that seemed to haunt his thoughts during the day.

He was so lost that he didn't seem to notice the approaching figures coming toward him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Uchiha Sasuke was ecstatic, and he plainly showed it by bouncing around all over the place while babbling to the person he was dragging behind him about random things that have happened to him recently. He suddenly felt a hand placed gently upon his head and looked up in surprise. "Calm down and stay quiet, otouto." A soft but firm voice stated above him.

Sasuke, who looked just like his brother in almost every way, gazed up at him through his dark raven hair and pouted. "But aniki," He whined, "It's been so long since you've had time for me."

Itachi let a small smile play on his lips. "Indeed, it has." He replied as he once again placed his hand on his otouto's head, ruffling his hair in the process. This caused Itachi's smile to widen a bit more as he heard his little brother growl in protest, slapping his hand away, as well.

Itachi had finally relented in spending one full afternoon with his brother after he took to constantly following and nagging him, and to Sasuke's pleasure everything worked out for the better. Well, at least for Sasuke.

So, Itachi was now stuck with having to train his brother on how to throw a kunai correctly as he had noticed Sasuke didn't quite know how to do so. He sighed tiredly, "No, Sasuke, you have to learn to keep it between two of your fingers, that is if you want your other targets to be hit as well?" he asked while quirking his eyebrow in question. The excited boy just nodded his head furiously and tried again.

A fewer hours later, Itachi decided to end the training for today despite Sasuke's protests. They began to gather all of the scattered kunai and shuriken when Sasuke suddenly began to panic, looking everywhere around their clearing like a maniac. Itachi laid his hand onto his brother's shoulder, causing him to still. "Is something wrong, Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned panicked eyes on him. "The kunai, I must have thrown it without knowing and—and now I can't find it! It's not here, aniki!"

Itachi furrowed his eyebrows a bit in confusion. "Kunai? What kunai?"

Sasuke bowed his head as if he suddenly seemed embarrassed with his eyes fixed on the forest floor. Itachi waited patiently, but when he realized he wasn't going to receive one he pushed it a bit. "Well?"

"The one t-that father g-gave to me." Sasuke spoke in a small voice as he kicked around a rock with the tip of his sandal.

Itachi's eyes widened in realization and he understood. It had been the kunai that their father had given Sasuke on his seventh birthday and his little brother simply adorned it. He carried it everywhere with him even though Itachi had no idea why, though their mother that it was awfully cute. It really had nothing to do with how beautiful it was, even though Itachi would admit that it was truly a work of art, but it was simply because their father had taken the time to give it to Sasuke. He reasoned that it was no surprise that Sasuke vied for their father's attention since he spent so much time and energy on him and Itachi felt slightly responsible.

Sasuke was now on the verge of tears, mumbling out words that were barely audible. "W-what if father never forgives me? He'll b-be so disappointed."

"Don't worry, otouto. We'll find it." He then guided Sasuke further from their training area and closer to the park as they searched for his kunai.

He was momentarily pulled out of his thoughts, when Sasuke pointed toward the edge of the park. "Who's that? I've never seen him before."

Itachi's onyx eyes followed his brother's vision, landing on a boy about Sasuke's age, if not younger. He had never seen this child either, though that wasn't that surprising since Konoha was such a large village, but Itachi knew a fair amount. The boy appeared to be asleep but he was not fooled, the boy was quite awake not that it mattered, though. It gave Itachi the time to look him over as they approached him.

From what he could see, the other boy also had dark raven hair that fell around a strong chiseled face that also held a delicate look to it with high cheekbones and a small, thin body to accompany it.

As they approached, the boy lifted his head and opened his eyes, and Itachi left himself suck in a breath of air. He's seen those eyes before, they were the eyes of the one and only Yondaime Hokage, he was sure of it. They were beautiful and it matched with the boy's other traits perfectly, but he couldn't shake that there was something off about him. It was just a feeling, but Itachi had learned to trust his instincts whole heartily. It was nothing bad, of course, just…off.

The older Uchiha shook himself out of it. What was he thinking? He then turned back to the matter at hand. They were looking for Sasuke's kunai; perhaps they should ask the boy if he's seen it. He glanced at Ran, seeing him now on his feet and staring at the sun in surprise, and before Sasuke or Itachi could react the boy bolted toward the exit of the park and quickly got lost in the sea of people that crowded the street.

'Weird kid; I have a feeling I'll be seeing him again.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no!' Ran chanted in his mind as he ran through the throng on people in the crowded market area, heading toward the hospital. 'I can't believe that I spent that much time out! They'll definitely know that I escaped!'

As he kept running at an even pace, Ran thought about the two people that had approached him. He knew it was rude to bolt like that but he was seriously in a hurry. Though, the two of them did look a bit familiar.

'Have I seen them somewhere before?' His eyes widened as he came to a screeching halt and he felt like smacking himself in which he actually did right in the forehead. 'I can't believe I didn't realize it before! They were the Uchihas! They must have been looking for the kunai and were about to ask him about it.'

'Boy, do I feel stupid.' He thought and with a sigh began to run again. He was almost there! 'Oh well, there's nothing I can do now. I'll just have to drop it off or something once I get out of the hospital.' He conceded.

He ran into the hospital, turning it into a power walk as the medics chided him for running as he pasted and finally made it to his room without much trouble. He opened the door and turned, closing it quickly and resting his hot forehead on the cool wood of the door.

'I made it. I actually made it. I thought for sur—'

"Ahem." Ran rapidly turned around to find the Fourth _and _Tsunade glaring holes through his body with their eyebrows twitching and impatient looks on their faces. Not good. Not good at all.

'Crud,' was his only thought. He just knew that somehow, the next few days were going to be unpleasant.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ran stared at the blond before him blankly as if he didn't hear what the man before had just told him. In truth, though, it was really no surprise because he was the one that made the decision in the first place, but no one else knew that of course. And that was why it was not normal for a child like him to learn that they would never speak again and not react. Nope. They're probably thinking that he's crazy right about now due to his unresponsive nature, and then send him on his merry way to the mental ward.

Arashi coughed to clear the tension in the air, not that it worked of course. He asked hesitantly. "Are you...okay?"

Ran rolled his eyes. 'Oh, how I'll miss making sarcastic comments to people who ask stupid questions!' Apparently he got his point across, seeing as the Yondaime's cheeks tinged a bit. "Uhh...stupid question..."

Ran just quirked his eyebrow a bit in agreement and then turned his back to him while he buried his face into a pillow. Arashi took that as his cue to leave and stepped over to the door, closing it with a soft click. He saw Akane standing right in front of the door waiting patiently for him.

"How did it go?" She asked softly.

Arashi let out a small sigh and she looked up at him in concern. "It couldn't have been that bad, right? I didn't hear a thing, nothing and-"

"That's just it!" The blond blurted out.

Akane looked at him confused. "What? I don't understand."

"Nothing. He did nothing, just stared at me and...and..." Arashi started to gesture wildly, trying to find the words that he needed, and failing to do so in the process.

"Okay, okay! Calm down. You're not supposed to be the one panicking and such nonsense!" It was pretty amusing if one were to see the motherly medic scolding the Fourth Hokage, strongest shinobi in Konoha, like he was some little kid.

"…no thrashing, no flailing, no panicking, screaming or yelling…well, he can't really scream or yell, but the action behind it is what I didn't quite find." Arashi ranted off as if he weren't speaking to anyone but himself.

Akane motioned for him to calm down. "Please, Arashi, calm yourself."

"It's just really unusual." He stated, narrowing his eyes in thought. This only increased his urge to look more thoroughly into the boy's background and anything else that seemed suspicious or even the slightest bit off about that boy.

"Indeed it is."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Although Ran couldn't speak, he coped well with his new disability. In fact, the Yondaime thought he took it a little too well. He didn't try to yell, scream, panic, thrash, or anything, which is highly unusual that even the medics were baffled by his overly calm behavior. They just assumed that he was still in shock. But then again, Kyoutaka Ran didn't exactly seem normal in certain aspects anyway.

Arashi guessed that it was like the calm before the storm and that the storm would be coming soon…but it never did. Perhaps the news didn't quite sink in yet, but he doubted that, knowing that Ran was a very intelligent boy. It just didn't make sense, not quite adding up.

'But since when did anything make sense around here?' The blonde asked himself and just let the boy be…for now, at least.

It almost felt like Ran was avoiding him and maybe he was, maybe he wasn't but Arashi wasn't really one to poke it other people's business anyway unless it was called for. This boy, though, it just felt like he was calling to him, feeling his heart tug every time Ran so much as looked at him.

Arashi shook his head, feeling another headache coming on. 'Why is it that I only get those when I think about him? Oh well, maybe my mind is playing tricks on me.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ran…" The said boy turned his head away from the window that he was previously looking out of and saw both Yuri and Sanosuke standing by the door with nervous expressions on their faces. How long that they been there? Ran didn't even notice that they had entered the room, but he didn't notice much these days. He often drifted off into his own world and the medics were worried about his sanity. He found that he liked it; it provided him with peace and quiet, but he grew tired of it quickly, missing Yuri's loud outbursts and Sanosuke's quiet reassurance and calm presence. He made no effort to move or even speak and just kept his eyes locked with the both of them as the atmosphere in the room became uncomfortable. Ran sat still and just let himself stare at the two of them.

Sanosuke gave Yuri nudge hard enough to make him stumble forward a little and hesitantly started to speak first but not before throwing a glare at Sanosuke who kept his face impressively impassive.

Yuri hesitantly stepped forward and started to speak. "We…we were told about…you know and…" He trailed off nervously under Ran's intense cerulean eyes. Ran's eyes landed on Sanosuke who stayed in the back and didn't need to speak, his eyes held clear understanding and sympathy.

Ran cocked his head to the side and blinked cutely, inwardly sighing. Not pity, but sympathy which he received from all the medics that came to his room and he hated it.

'At least it's not pity…I'm probably going to be getting a lot of that.' He grimaced at that thought, his imagination running wild for a moment, he could see it now. He hated having people's pity…he didn't want it or need it. Ran's eyes glazed over for a second until he snapped out of it and looked to see his friends staring at him in mixed confusion and worry.

Somehow Sanosuke had wordlessly crossed the room, standing beside his hospital bed when he had his temporary lapse, losing himself in his own little world for a second. He also saw Yuri trailing behind him, stopping a little further behind. They stood there unmoving for what seemed like hours when in reality it was in the span of only a few minutes.

His intense blue-grey eyes bore into Ran's blank ones and suddenly, Ran threw himself in what seemed like Sanosuke's waiting arms and without missing a beat, the taller boy wrapped his arms around him securely. He glanced at Yuri, mildly surprised that a blank face greeted him back. He was being strangely quiet.

'I wonder what he's thinking about.' Sanosuke thought as he took in the brunette's downcast head and his unfocused, intense eyes. Sanosuke shifted a bit uncomfortably, but Ran refused to lift his head that was currently buried into the other boy's shoulder, so with a resigned face he sat down unto the bed. Yuri soon followed, crawling unto the bed as well, leaning further back against the cold wall between the two.

Sanosuke seemed to realize that his shoulder was feeling wet, and gazed down to see tear stains on his shirt and was only able to see the top of his friend's head. Ran was gripping the front of his shirt tightly and his shoulders were shaking as he shed his silent tears alone. Whatever assurances that the two boys whispered fell on deaf ears, and were useless as Ran kept his head buried into Sanosuke's shoulder while shaking his head from side to side. From this, he didn't notice the grief and anguish that flashed through Yuri and Sanosuke's eyes, only to have it replaced by fierce determination, which etched its way onto their faces moments later.

Sanosuke's arms tightened around Ran's waist as he rested his chin on Ran's shoulder, looking at Yuri. The violet-eyed brunette avoided the other's gaze with his eyes downcast overlooking the village.

'He can't even cry.' Ran couldn't scream, yell, or cry, not that he would have, but knowing that he had the choice to cry was what had changed. Pain flashed through their eyes, and this time it did not escape Ran's notice, making him bow his head further down Sanosuke's shoulder. He was too ashamed to look at them any more; he truly didn't deserve the two of them.

Both Yuri and Sanosuke seemed to get this but refrained from speaking anything of it. Ran was their best friend, the most giving but also the most distant of the three. They understood that he had secrets, but just how many did he have? From a distance, anyone could see that Ran has had a tough life with everything that he has ever loved has been taken away from him, and he just wasn't willing to lose those that were the most precious. It made them feel special to know that they were wanted and precious to someone. What hurt, though, was that he kept his secrets hidden to protect_ them_. Whether it was truly for them or him remained unknown, and perhaps it was both in a way. And now that Ran couldn't even talk anymore, Sanosuke wondered if he would drift even further, away from their grasp and reach.

'No. I won't let it.' He thought, looking up to meet Yuri's gaze and he knew that they were thinking the same thing. Just like Ran, they weren't willing to let go of something precious to them…no matter what. Staring out the window, the raven haired boy sighed seeing the sun set just above the border.

'Have we really been here that long that the time just escaped our minds?'

Yuri followed the other's gaze and realized this too and leisurely rose from the bed, making it squeak noisily before turning to Ran with a small smile at reached his compassionate violet eyes. He truly didn't have any words to give, but then again, he didn't really need them because Ran seemed to get the message just fine even with half of his face still hidden in Sanosuke's shoulder.

As Yuri made a move to leave, Ran's arm shot out and snagged the sleeve of his shirt in a vice grip. Yuri turned around surprised with his mouth open and looked ready to say something. He promptly shut his mouth when he saw Ran staring up at him from the bed. The brunette couldn't place what he saw on the other boy's face. Panic, that's what it was. It was swimming through those cerulean eyes, pure fear and panic adored his face as the hand on his sleeve gripped even tighter, hastily tugging him back to the bed.

Yuri's eyes widened in shock, but he quickly changed it just in case Ran began to feel weak and close them off again. He had never seen Ran lose control and look so lost before. The raven haired, cerulean eyed boy always kept his cool and calm exterior, and seeing him like this somehow made Yuri happy on the inside.

He knew it was sick and he felt disgusted with his way of thinking, but seeing Ran like he was right now made him seem so much more human and Yuri wasn't ashamed to think that he wanted to see more of it. Of course, under these circumstances it was different, but Yuri wanted Ran to sort of let loose. He wanted to show the people what they were missing, to show Ran what they were missing. Yuri yearned to show off Ran to the world, and in turn show the world to Ran.

Yuri had the same doubts that Sano had running through his head, though he wasn't one to give up so easily because Ran deserved better than that. He deserved the best and soon everyone else will see it too, of this he had no doubts.

His eyes were still connected with Ran's, knowing that he had already lost the battle. Ran was asking him to stay here with him by his side, and who was he to deny him? Heaving a light sigh, Yuri looked up and gave him a reassuring smile before loosening the hand that was gripping his sleeve and taking it into his own. He intertwined their fingers than hopped unto the bed with his legs dangling off the edge of the bed.

The second Yuri sat on the bed, Sanosuke could feel Ran releasing a sigh of relief and his body relaxing in his hold while closing his eyes lazily. It seemed as though the tension and inner turmoil had finally taken its toll and that he could finally rest.

He felt Ran pushing against him slightly and he loosened his grip to see the other raven haired boy gazing up at the two of them through sleepy half-lidded eyes, and the both of them saw a spark of happiness come alive in those endless depths of his, no matter how small. Sanosuke and Yuri felt something in them rise and swell in hope and joy. Perhaps this was only the beginning.

Sanosuke gingerly moved Ran up towards the bed and placed his head onto the pillow while lying next to him. Yuri had also lain down with his hands still intertwined with Ran and they fell asleep as the sun was setting below the horizon.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Omg! That took forever! Well, actually not really. I'll say once again that I pretty much finished it a long time ago but kept forgetting to tweak it, so I'm super duper sorry to those of you that had to wait so long! I hope this chapter was satisfying!! I made so that it was definitely longer so you guys won't get mad. Hahah…juss kidding…anyway…I hope you like the introduction of Itachi and Sasuke, but I won't tell you what I am planning simply because I don't really know yet! So many different options and such, so I was also thinking about writing another story and I've even sort of atarted but I don't know if I will for sure. Again, I'm so sorry for making all of you guys wait and I hope that this chapter is good enough!! I'll definitely try to update sooner this time to the best of my abilities, but I can't make any promises. PLEASE Review!!

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	8. Important Author's Note

**Important Author's Notes: **Hey guys!! I'm sorry to say this but I have recently received a flame that I have to admit disturbed me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being entitled to one's opinion and I have no problem with that whatsoever. What disturbs me is that someone would go as far as to criticize and insult my style of writing and the way I plan to unfold my story. If anyone has a problem with my story then they can email me personally and address the problem and if they do not have a login to view my email, then I have a very simple solution to people that chose to post things that are simply unnecessary. **DON'T READ MY FICS!!!**

Please don't get me wrong, I have no problems with people posting critiques and I look forward to getting better and improving. I know that I'm certainly not perfect but there are ways to say those types of things without being acerbic about it. Once again, I'm really sorry for blowing up but things like this really upset me because some others simply don't appreciate the time and effort that all of us put into our fics. Posts that are simply unwarranted will be deleted if necessary. If one doesn't show respect, then they will in turn be given no respect.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**I will also like to take the time to thank all of the following viewers that either reviewed, or posted me or my fic in their profile. It truly means a lot to me and I really appreciate all of you. I never thought that I would get this many reviews and it has been so unreal. (I also added those that are Anonymous too!!) :**

**adlex47**

**storywriter10791**

**InARealPickle**

**mikachan**

**killer sandman**

**143heart**

**Tony WildRiver**

**blacklightningwolf**

**chigirigi**

**Boejangles**

**Heather**

**Amei-chan**

**neokid93**

**xXxKIxXx**

**kerumbaklique21**

**noone cares enough**

**The Three Stoogies**

**fanatic!!!**

**x-Xanti-x**

**Prozacfairy**

**LyricaBelachium**

**Vulpes velox**

**CW**

**Dixie Diamond**

**wolvknight**

**shadow lupus**

**DarkFayt**

**lilyflower01**

**Morison Howards**

**SylvanSpirit**

**WannabeFireFox**

**angelic.missy**

**psychocitten**

**rachil**

**grumpywinter**

**Trueswipe**

**Niesha**

**LyricaBelachium**

**OS**

**kakashi-fan**

**Skittles441**

**Hopeful**

**catzrool**

**Hot-tempered-chan**

**DaemonChild**

**SongoftheDarquePhoenix**

**Gohanzgirl**

**Catwarrior**

**Darkness in the Light**

**bamboopanda**

**icegoddess52**

**kel**

**Chrril Ahsil the 1337 one**

**Utena-Puchiko-nyu**

**yugiL**

**theninesiblings**

**Fiona12690**

**TaiNteDxWiNgs**

**cha-chan-hyper**

**Katiebird27**

**kuroi hane**

**Quathis**

**kyunaru**

**mangalover248**

**Biolightning**

**Amei-chan**

**chigirigi**

**Soul of the Silver Phoenix**

**MrFailure**

**Anti-thule**

**Belletiger BT**

**Little Fox Kit**

**SwordofOblivion**

**I'm A PureEvil**

**obliviandragon**

**Think-chan**

**OneAznDragon**

**raziel44**

**Tsubasa no Michi**

**Avatorofrage**

**Alcyone-blk**

**Devil-Speaker**

**Kirimori**

**Pyro The Fox of Fire**

**Stella Solaris**

**Mou'Ikka**

**Levanera**

**Beautiful-Dead-Girl**

**PyroD**

**Go Naruto**

**bumike99**

**kimmi**

**RedFirePhoenix**

**KyuubaInuzuka**

**neverbetter21**

**crimsonmoon08**

**Avion Jade**

**yumi hasegawa**

**shaza**

**ladynaruto13**

**sexybitchxoxoxo**

**Ereshkigal Queen of Death**

**Ruler of Twilight**

**Person**

**KitsuneyJenfner**

**black suede**

**sanseui-kitty**

**TooDarnLazy**

**Demonkid**

**o.Arcangel.o**

**anon**

**Devil-Speaker**

**seilif**

**Frozen Waterz**

**neverbetter21**

**The War General**

**Kyuubi's Masamune**

**terrawolf**

**Shima Orealu**

**bleeding hand**

**yuis**

**The Azn Dreamer**

**Fire Rogue Shinobi**

**kitsunegyrl**

**KNOW**

**Azalie-Kauriu**

**Suhady**

**Lorraine Ulrich**

**Kitsune's Dark Shadow**

**Jetede**

**AkumaRule**

**Alaendil**

**Alexander Salazar Snape**

**Alexis of the Westlands**

**AmeTais**

**Ash of Mine**

**Blessings In Disguise**

**Blue Nariko**

**Chiichobi**

**Chrre Ahsil teh 1337 one**

**Cici Linne**

**Dawnyu**

**Eva-crazy-fairy**

**Faustine**

**FrAnKiEHaRrY**

**Frozen Waterz**

**HCVquizibo**

**HisNameIsMyNM2**

**Into my Darkness**

**Itachi's aprentice**

**Ketsy**

**Kokuun**

**KyuubaInuzuka**

**Kyuubi's Masamune**

**Luna-and-Artemis**

**LyricaBelachium**

**MicDDciM**

**Plato's Dream Girl**

**Rasengan Naruto**

**Razakel**

**RikuLuvr**

**Ruler Of Twilight**

**Shizuhara Katja**

**Silva Kuyashi**

**Soul Amputator**

**SwordOfOblivion**

**Tezctlipoca**

**The Almighty DB**

**TheTolk**

**Trueswipe**

**Tsukiko Yamshita**

**Tyra Kinami**

**VegetaPrinceofDarkness**

**WindFoxST**

**WolfLord04**

**Yolinare**

**Zero H Gundam**

**ZeusBomb**

**akira-sensei**

**blackkitsue**

**blacklightningwolf**

**blured vision**

**bombay07**

**chacra**

**cham**

**clarius elazul**

**copyeye**

**crimsonmoon08**

**darkdeathoflife**

**deomofnight66**

**djinnus**

**hannahsjf**

**heart-of-greylands326**

**hihana194**

**ichi-bro**

**infractus**

**jana94**

**joi11by**

**juiceycheese**

**kage-ome**

**kazama kaien**

**lin1935**

**mikochansweden03**

**narusakura420**

**neokid93**

**oblivionprince**

**pikxy**

**spiralfish**

**submindy**

**tiger982305**

**tryxxi**

**uchihasasuke94**

**wind's voice**

**wittle foxxi**

**wolves-foxes**

**Bikiluf**

**ChocolateCat07**

**clarius elazul**

**Lefie**

**Lord Raine**

**LyricaBelachium**

**Raven Marcus**

**Shinobi Alchemist**

**Wolf among sheep**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I love you guys!! You're all awesome and I'll try to update as soon as I can but right now is really hectic and there's just so much going on that I don't seem to have enough time during the day!! I really appreciate all of your encouraging words and reviews.

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


End file.
